Wings of Freedom
by DicedPears
Summary: His best friend was darkness. The love of his life was light. He was a balance between the two. The story of a boy and his journey to save the ones who mattered most. [BBS] [Story request]
1. The Boy and the Key

**this is a request from sketchywolf, and Minato is his character. i hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

She spotted him as she was leaving Twilight Town's station. A boy slicing down monsters that had appeared in the plaza around him. There wasn't any skill or technique in his actions, but she could see from the way he used the blade in his hands that he wasn't a stranger to it. _How odd_ , she thought to herself, _that a boy his age would have a Keyblade, but no Master to be seen._

Not only that, but she only knew of three other Masters besides herself. And as far as she knew, neither had this boy as their apprentice. Eraqus had only two, Yen Sid just one, and Xehanort none. Therefore she could not think of how such a boy would have obtained a Keyblade in the first place. And then there was the matter of the darkness she sensed within him. How much suffering had this child experienced for him to hold so much negativity in his Heart? Hoping to find an answer to at least one of these questions, she approached the boy.

"Hello there. My name is Iqarus, and I am a Keyblade Master." She smiled softly and bent her knees so that she was eye level with the child. He looked to be around 10 years old, but was short for his age, with shaggy black hair covering his face. "Might I ask your name?"

The boy brushed his hair to the side and looked at her with wide, solemn eyes for a long second, until at last he whispered, "Minato."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Minato. I see you have a Keyblade." Iqarus gestured to the blade still in his hands, and Minato's gaze followed. Now that she was closer, it looked vaguely familiar. "Are your guardians nearby?"

Minato's eyes darkened. "No. They're gone."

 _Gone? Then..._ "Do you not have any place to call home? No friends? How have you been eating?"

"You're pretty nosy." The child said this defiantly, but his shifting weight gave Iqarus the answers she was looking for.

"Hmm... It's no good for a kid like you to be on the streets, you know. How about you come stay with me? I could teach you how to better use the Keyblade, and you might even become a Master yourself."

At this, a glimmer of interest appeared on the boy's face. "A Master, huh?" His gaze wandered off to the side as he considered, then a small smile began to form on the boy's face. "Okay, sure. I'll go with you."

Iqarus straightened and offered him a hand to help him up. He shook it firmly and she held back a smile. "But first, how about you and I get some ice cream, hmm?"

* * *

"Ah, Iqarus. It's good to see you again." Eraqus stood and greeted his old friend cheerily as she entered his office. "And who is this? Have you at last taken up an apprentice?" He looked at the boy standing shyly behind Iqarus.

"As it happens, yes I have." She put a hand on the boy's back, nudging him forward. "This is Minato."

"Well, it's certainly a pleasure to meet you, Minato. I am Eraqus." Eraqus eyed the boy. He could sense something dark in the boy's Heart. Iqarus didn't seem to pay it any mind, but Eraqus felt he should keep close watch over him.

"It's nice to meet you, too." The boy fidgeted before asking timidly, "Are you a Keyblade Master too?"

"I am. And I also have my own apprentices. Would you like to meet them?"

A small nod from Minato had Eraqus calling out the door to the office. Soon after, a boy and a girl entered the room. The boy was taller than Minato was, with bright eyes exuding excitement. The girl was a little shorter, with blue hair and matching serious eyes. Minato found her extremely pretty. Their gazes passed over Iqarus before settling on Minato. The boy stepped forward, opening his mouth and letting loose a surge of questions.

"Hey there! I'm Terra! That's Aqua. What's your name? Where're you from? Did Master Iqarus bring you? Are you also training to be a Master? What's your favorite Keyblade? Do you like—"

Aqua cut Terra off in the middle of his interrogation. "Terra, give him time to answer!"

Terra hung his head apologetically. "Sorry."

Minato eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, overwhelmed. "I-i-i... Y-yes." The duo stared at him.

A long silence.

Then Terra started laughing. Aqua giggled a little alongside him.

"Wahaha, what was that? 'Yes'?" He was laughing too much.

Minato puffed his cheeks with a stubborn pout.

"S-stop laughing! Of course I'm gonna be a Master!"

"Oh, oh yeah?" Terra kept giggling, tears starting to leak from his eyes.

"Yeah! And I'm definitely going to become one before you!"

This got Terra to quiet down, but a grin was still wide across his face. "Yeah, right. Like I'm gonna be beat by some _little kid._ "

This turned out to be the last straw, because Minato summoned his Keyblade and jumped at Terra. The two Masters, who had previously been watching silently, quickly stepped in to stop the fight before it could truly begin. Iqarus pinned Minato's arms to his sides in a tight hug while Eraqus stood between the boys.

"That is enough!" Eraqus glared down at Minato. "Control yourself, boy." The child's darkness was a problem. _Why would Iqarus...?_ Eraqus then saw the blade in the boy's hand. _Could it be? That shape..._ Of course, what with that Key combined with his... _issues_ , it would be better to have the boy under a trained eye. It would have been troublesome to leave him be.

Eraqus took a breath and calmed himself. "Iqarus, take the boy to the library, let him cool his head."

The visitors left the room. "Are you alright, Terra?" The Master looked down at his pupil.

"Huh? Yes, Master." Terra looked at the door. "But what was up with him? Can't he take a little teasing?"

"Not everyone is like you, Terra," Aqua spoke up. "Some of us are a little more sensitive than you are. And, to be fair, you _were_ pushing a little hard."

"Aqua is right. The boy is still adjusting to his new life. Be more careful with him, and don't be afraid to come to either me or Master Iqarus if anything goes wrong!"

The children nodded. "Yes, Master."

000

In the library, Minato hopped onto a table and sat, swinging his legs back and forth. Iqarus shut the door behind them, turning to face the boy. He was clearly still upset. She sighed, shaking her head.

"You must learn to control your anger," she said to him, "You can't go about beating up everyone who teases you. And please get off of the table. Sit on one of the couches. They were actually designed to be sat on."

With a huff, the boy slid to the floor and trudged over to a couch, plopping down, arms crossed. He had already been with her for nearly a week, and though he complied with her orders, learning to listen to someone other than himself was obviously a new experience for him. His Master followed him over and sat on the opposing bench.

"Why did you use your Keyblade?"

"He called me _little_! I wasn't about to let him get away with that!"

"And that is exactly what I meant by learning to control your anger. You musn't let darkness have the better of you, Minato. And attacking someone while they are unarmed is dishonorable."

Minato's face scrunched into a tight pout as he pulled his knees up to his face, hiding behind them in lieu of his now trimmed fringe. Iqarus sighed and stood once again, heading for the door.

"You are too old to be acting this childish. I am going to go apologize to Master Eraqus. When you've calmed down, I expect you to do the same. And Terra deserves an apology, as well."

Left alone, the boy sulked for a few more minutes before finally looking at his surroundings. The library was vast, much larger than the one in Iqarus' smaller residence. The shelves stretched up to the ceiling, maybe three or four stories high, and were packed full with books of various sizes and colors. Minato wasn't much of a reader, but even he was awed at the sheer size of the place. He unfurled himself and made for the nearest shelf.

 _Apologizing can come later. Why do I even have to? It's not like I actually got to hit him..._

He reached the shelf and randomly pulled out a royal blue hardback, with gold lettering on the cover, and only about half an inch thick. _Wings of Freedom_. There wasn't anything on the back, but the title seemed interesting enough, so he flipped it open and began to read aloud.

" _On an island far away, on the very edge of a cliff, stood a tower made of stone and wood and clay, reaching high above the ground and into the heavens. Inside the tower was an old and haggard inventor, who had once served the island's King but had recently fallen out of his favor, and his beloved son._

" _The inventor, kept from escaping the tower by the King's men, wished for his son at least to escape the island and make a life elsewhere, while the son believed his father too valuable a talent to lose and wished his father be freed. There not being a way to leave by land or sea, as the King's army would surely be able to follow them and recapture them, the inventor began his work of inventing a way to fly._ "

"You have a nice voice."

Minato jumped at the unexpected sound and whirled around. "A-A-Aq.."

Aqua giggled as he stammered out her name, and he blushed. "You're very good. Do you read a lot?" she asks as she moves beside him, gazing over the books.

"N-not really. Do you?" he managed. He couldn't seem to help stuttering whenever he spoke to her.

"Every day," she sighed, passing a hand over the spines. "The worlds inside these books are incredible. I hope the real worlds I'll visit one day are just as amazing."

"..." Minato watched her silently as she smiled, trying to guess what she was seeing. Then he looked up at the shelves near the ceiling. "How do y-you get the ones at the top?" he wondered.

She grinned. "Hehe, like this." And with a wave of her slender hands, a large, heavy-looking tome drifted off the highest shelf and floated gently down into her waiting grasp.

He watched this with his mouth agape, a small gasp escaping his lips when she caught the book. His eyes glittered as he exclaimed, "How'd you do that!?"

Aqua's grin transformed into a coy smile. "I'll teach you. But only if you tell Terra you're sorry."

"Wha? No way!" _I've been tricked! The Master must have set her up to this!_

Her smile disappeared. "You boys are so dumb. I even convinced him to apologize to you, too, but I guess you're too _stubborn_." Aqua stomped off to the door, dropping the book she held on the table with a loud thud.

"W-wait! I'll d-do it!" Minato cried as he hurried after her, tossing his novella beside the larger one. She stopped with her hand on the knob and turned to glare at him.

Then her face broke out into another grin.

"Alright! Let's go!"

The two left the library, soon finding themselves in the Grand Hall. It certainly was grand, with its ceiling even taller than the library's, to make up for its smaller width, and stained glass windows lining the front of the room. The children were on the top level of the hall, which held three thrones at the back of the room and ended around the middle of the room as a balcony. The floor below also served as the entrance hall, with magnificent double doors leading outside. To Minato, it seemed as if every room in the castle was oversized.

"This place must've been built for a lot of people," Minato said to himself. He thought he'd said it too quietly for her to hear, but Aqua heard him anyway and bounced ahead a few steps.

"Maybe. But there's only me, Terra, and the Master living here now."

"R-really? But it's so b-big! Isn't it lonely?"

She laughed, maybe a little sadly. "Yeah, kinda. But you get used to it, and it's actually really helpful when playing hide-and-seek!"

They descended the stairwell to the lower level, Aqua chuckling as she recalled the shenanigans she and Terra got in while searching for the other in the labyrinthian castle.

"M-Master Iqarus' place is a lot s-smaller than here. More like a big h-house than a castle."

"Is it? That sounds nice," she smiled at him. "A lot cozier than a place like this."

Before he could figure out what she meant, they were outside, at the top of another set of stairs. It was early afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly with no clouds in sight. Looking down, he could see Terra sitting at the bottom, waiting with his face resting on his hands.

"Terra!" Aqua called out as she bounded down the steps. A frown reformed on Minato's face as they approached the other boy, who shared the same look of displeasure.

"Aqua. I see you brought the newbie."

Minato grit his teeth. _Control your anger, control your anger..._ He reached the bottom of the stairs and faced Terra. The two stared at each other, neither wanting to let go of their pride first.

Aqua crossed her arms. " _Well?_ "

Minato unclenched his jaw and looked at the ground. "I'm.. sorry for attacking you." He snuck a glance at Aqua, who glared at Terra as if daring him to reject the apology.

Terra himself just shrugged. "It's no big deal. I wasn't hurt, and if you swing your Keyblade at me again, I'll just beat you up with my own." He paused, scratching his cheek. "And… I'm sorry for making fun of you."

"Yeah, w-whatever. I'm over it."

"Great! I'm so proud of the both of you!" Aqua clapped her hands. "Now let's go eat some snacks!" She turned to Minato and said in a stage whisper, "And don't listen to Terra. He doesn't even have a Keyblade yet."

"H-hey! Don't tell him, Aqua!"

Her laugh echoed through the mountains around them as she grabbed the boys' hands and dragged them back up the steps. The sun had begun to bear down on them, so everyone was ready to go back inside.

Aqua's bright smile and her soft hand in his made Minato warm inside. Or maybe it was just the sun.

Either way, the snacks their Masters had prepared tasted delicious.

* * *

"I don't get it. Why are Master Eraqus and Master Iqarus so interested in your Keyblade?" Terra wondered aloud while he and Minato were taking a break from training. Aqua was a little ways away, practicing her magic. She'd turned out to be quite gifted with it, which made the boys jealous.

It was a year later, and Minato trained alongside Terra and Aqua under Eraqus whenever his own Master left to investigate any disruptions in the worlds. Recently it seemed both Masters were preoccupied with a sudden influx of Heartless, and Iqarus had been searching high and low for where they might be coming from. But this hadn't stopped them from occasionally stealing glances at Minato's Keyblade, and the children could hear them discussing it in Eraqus' office every so often.

"Maybe they just wanna know where I got it?" Minato picked at the toe of his boot.

"Where _did_ you get it?" Aqua asked, finishing her exercises and joining them on the grass. "Nobody just _gets_ a Keyblade without someone giving it to them first."

"B-but nobody _did_ give it t-to me. I don't th-think so, anyway." He still couldn't speak clearly around her, something both Iqarus and Terra teased him for.

"Yeah, who would give some kid who can't even t-talk straight a Keyblade? That's a disaster waiting to happen!" Terra grinned at Minato.

Minato frowned at the mock stutter, but he quickly plastered on a smirk instead. "You act tough, but you haven't beaten me _once_!" he shot back. He might not be able to do anything about his Master, but now that all three apprentices had Keyblades, Minato would challenge the older boy to a duel, and maintained an unbroken winning streak. Terra couldn't stand it. "On your feet!" Minato jumped up, his Key appearing in his right hand.

Terra followed his example, gripping his Keyblade tightly and readying his stance. "I won't go easy on you!"

"Like that would change anything!" The two faced each other and charged.

Aqua rolled her eyes. _Boys. Fighting is always both the problem_ and _the answer with them._ Thinking this, she nevertheless watched the two intently.

000

The sun was beginning to set by the time the battle had ended, and both boys were splayed out on the ground, drenched in sweat and out of breath. In an unexpected twist, the duel had ended in a draw.

Terra laughed triumphantly. "Looks like I'm catching up."

"As if! You just got lucky!" the younger boy smiled.

"If you two are done, how about the three of us go look for clues?" Aqua spoke up. She had sat through the entire fight, and a small notepad was on her lap.

"Clues? For what?" Terra sat up.

She held up the notepad. "You were interested in Minato's Keyblade, right?"

Terra squinted at her notes. "' _Heavy on right hand_ '... Aqua, these are comments on our swordsmanship."

"What?" Aqua quickly glanced at the pad and flipped back a few pages, blushing. "Anyway, we might find something in the library. I saw a book on Key bearer history with common Keyblades of the past inside. What if you have an old one, Minato?"

The boys looked at each other, then back at Aqua.

"A-alright. Let's look."

They kept themselves from running, but it still didn't take long for them to reach the library. More novels had been added since the first time Minato had been there, from Iqarus' travels, and it seemed the room had expanded to fit the new additions. Aqua had told him the library was enchanted to hold as many books as was needed, and Terra had complained that it made finding the older volumes even more difficult than it already was. This didn't discourage Aqua from her search, and she ran off into the depths of the library. Minato could hear her shuffling around and books being taken off their shelves or slid back where she had gotten them. Then Aqua reappeared empty-handed.

She shook her head disappointedly. "It's not here."

"You sure it wasn't just left somewhere else? Maybe the library felt it belonged in a different section." Terra was building a tower out of paperbacks that had been left on the table. "Or maybe one of the Masters are reading it."

"We could l-look and see?" Minato offered.

Aqua considered the idea. "Master Iqarus is returning this evening, and Master Eraqus is probably already waiting for her, so he won't be in his office to let us in."

"He won't be there to keep us _out_." Terra corrected.

Aqua's lips stretched into a mischievous smile. "You're right."

And they stealthily made their way to the office. As Aqua had predicted, the Master was nowhere to be seen.

"Here it is!" Aqua pointed to a book on Eraqus' desk. It was the same one she had retrieved to demonstrate her magic to Minato the year before, thick and faded. She flipped to a tabbed page and placed her notepad on the desk beside it. Next to her scribbled notes were drawings of Minato's Keyblade.

Aqua began turning the pages, scanning the images closely. Her mouth was drawn to the side and she made a frustrated 'hmm' every once in a while as she compared images.

A few minutes of quiet reading (with Terra and Minato looking over her shoulders at the pictures) later, Aqua flattened the book and pointed. "There."

A small sketch on the upper righthand corner, a mismatched handle that had a white, turned in wing on one side and a spiked black guard on the other, with its black shaft extending and transforming into another pale wing, a pulsing light at its base. Beside the sketch was a short blurb about the blade.

"' _The Way of the Damned. A Key forged in light and darkness, it chooses those who have power over both Realms._ ' So it was an ancient one."

"Power over both realms?" Terra raised his eyebrows. "Looks like we've got a big shot with us."

Minato shot him a look then turned back to the entry. "But wh-what does that even mean?" _I've only ever been to three worlds in my life, let alone another_ Realm.

"Why don't you try it?" Aqua said suddenly.

"Try what?"

"Using whatever power it's talking about."

"But—" _isn't that Darkness? But Master Iqarus said..._

To keep it in control.

"Okay. Umm…" He closed his eyes. So long as he could control it, everything would be fine, right? He concentrated on the darkness inside him.

He could feel it swirling around and he grasped it in his mind's eye, pulling it towards him. The other two gasped and his eyes shot open. In his arms was a small dark creature with glowing yellow eyes. It wriggled in his grasp, antennae bobbing as it looked around. Its eyes gazed up at him and for a second, it looked almost cute.

Then it leapt out of his arms at Aqua.

"Wait, stop!"

But it did not stop. Aqua screamed and dodged the creature, it soaring past her to the office door where it was disintegrated by Eraqus' Keyblade.

He was standing in the doorway, furious. "What are you three doing?!"

"I-i.." Minato began, but Eraqus interrupted.

"Summoning the forces of darkness into this world? Were you even thinking? What if something stronger than a mere shadow had appeared? Would you three alone have been able to defeat it? You have no experience in such matters!"

"Eraqus." Iqarus appeared behind him. "I believe they get the point."

"Do they? And whose idea was this, hmm?"

"It.. it was mine, Master," Aqua admitted.

Terra added bashfully, "We wanted to know why you were so interested in Minato's Keyblade."

"And that somehow led to using the darkness?"

"The book said I had power over both Realms. I didn't think—"

"No, you clearly did not. I am disappointed in all of you." He turned on Iqarus. "I had assumed you taught him to stay away from the darkness, Iqarus."

She pressed her lips into a thin line before answering, "Some things have to be experienced to be understood. That scar on your face should have been enough for you to know this yourself."

This was apparently a sore topic, because Eraqus glowered at Iqarus before returning his attention to the children.

"As for you, Aqua, I had expected you at least would know better than to meddle with dark powers." Terra flinched at his words, and Minato stared at his feet. "You and Terra, go to your rooms. We will discuss this more later."

Eraqus' pupils shuffled out of the room. At a signal from Iqarus, Minato followed after them. When the door closed, Iqarus said softly, "You know, Eraqus. Perhaps we are partially to blame, as well. We should not have kept it a secret from them."

The other Master sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes. Perhaps.. I was a little rough with them. But using the power of darkness.. He is a bad influence."

"Are your students' Hearts so weak that one curious boy can sway them to the dark side?"

"It's not 'one boy', Iqarus. He is their friend, and that gives him power over them."

"He is not evil, Eraqus."

"I know. That is why I worry."

The two said their farewells and Iqarus exited the office. Minato was leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back. She smiled at him as he looked at her, his face full of regret. "Let's go, Minato."

The two left the castle and headed back to Iqarus' house. The journey was quiet until Minato finally spoke up. "Master, what was that thing? Did I really summon something from the Realm of Darkness?"

"You did. It's an extraordinary ability, but one you shouldn't use, and I think you have already seen why. Stray too close to darkness, and you risk putting those you love in danger.." She paused, then added, "But do not walk too closely to the light, either, or you will be just as blind to their suffering."

"..That's a lot of responsibility you've just given me, Master."

Iqarus chuckled. "I suppose so. Then shall I take responsibility for choosing tonight's dinner?"

"Huh? Absolutely not! You always pick the gross stuff!"

"Vegetables are good for you. You shouldn't be so averse to eating them. But if you think you can shoulder that responsibility.."

"Don't underestimate me, Master! I'll protect my friends and choose dinner!"

And like this, the rest of the way home was filled with laughter.

* * *

 _ **So this was chapter one! Thanks a lot to SlicedPeaches for their help with making sure this was readable. sorry for how long this took, but i hope you enjoy the next chapter too! hopefully it'll come out a little faster  
**_


	2. Uncomfortable

"Minato. You've come alone this time as well?" Master Eraqus was waiting in the castle courtyard.

"Yes, Master. Master Iqarus had business elsewhere." Even though the Heartless threat had abruptly stopped a few days prior, Iqarus would still disappear without explaining any details before or after, leaving Minato to travel to the Land of Departure by himself. Not having any armor of his own, he traveled in a black coat Iqarus had given him, something that displeased Eraqus, who believed the armor was a mark of honor, the regalia of the Masters of old.

He sighed, "Well, she will find out soon enough. Come, this way." Without elaborating, Eraqus led Minato to one of the spare bedrooms.

The room was small, with a plain bed along the far wall and a desk beside it as its only furnishings. Aqua and Terra were standing at the bedside, Terra fidgeting uncomfortably, Aqua bent over the bed wiping a damp cloth over an unconscious boy's face.

Terra had recently gone through another growth spurt, and was nearly as tall as Eraqus. And while Minato was now taller than Aqua, he was still only just above shoulder height to Terra. He had been assured by both Masters that since Terra was older, this was to be expected.

Aqua, meanwhile, had begun to develop into a beautiful young woman. Her slender features were accentuated by her sapphire eyes, which had softened in the last two years. Her personality, too, had softened, and Terra would refer to her jokingly as his "mom", which would lead to her punching his arm and laughing. Minato didn't really know what he felt during those moments, but he didn't like it.

All three of them were well-toned, muscles hardened from training.

In contrast, the boy on the bed was small and frail-looking, his spikey blond hair caked in blood and dirt.

"That is Ventus. He was a Keyblade wielder, but at the moment he has lost both his memories and his consciousness," Eraqus explained. "He arrived yesterday morning."

"It's my fault," Terra whispered, clenching his fists. "I pushed him too far and he passed out."

"It's not your fault, Terra. You did the same thing with Minato and he's fine," Aqua said reassuringly. "Ventus was unwell when he got here."

"How'd he end up like this?" Minato examined Ventus' sleeping body. "What k-kind of monster did this kind of damage?"

"While I am not certain of the details, it seems he was fighting too close to the darkness, and he nearly paid the price for his foolishness." The Master shook his head, "As he is now, he may very well never recover."

"But we can't give up hope," Aqua insisted. "I'll keep praying for a miracle."

* * *

Days passed, and still Ventus slept. Iqarus had yet to reappear, and even though the other four took turns caring for the comatose child, the stress was taking its toll on them all.

"I know we can't give up, but.. Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth it?" Aqua and Minato were at the mountain summit, watching the sun sink below the hills and spires unique to the world. "It's horrible of me to think that, but seeing him just lying there…. I can hardly stand it anymore."

Indeed, the longer Ventus was in that bed, the faster their optimism slipped away. There were bags under Aqua's eyes, and Minato lay awake at night, unable to sleep. If darkness was the reason that kid was like that, then the same might happen to Minato. What if he fell asleep and never woke up? Would they take care of him like they do Ventus? He didn't like thinking about it.

"What.. What if we went somewhere? Somewhere different." He didn't know why he said it. But he did. He peeked over to see her face painted with confusion.

"Somewhere different? Minato, there isn't anywhere different to go."

"We could go to another world." Her eyebrows raised slightly, and he rushed to explain. "Master Iqarus taught me h-how to use the Lanes Between, so we could go somewhere else for a change of pace. Like a festival or a fair or s-something."

"Hmm… The three of us going to the fair might be fun. Then when Terra trades places with Master Eraqus, we can go, right?"

"Three? Terra too?"

"Of course! He's tired too, so we should all go for a 'change of pace'."

 _No, that's not what I meant!_ But he couldn't bring himself to say that out loud. So he and Aqua went to Ventus' room to invite Terra on their adventure.

And of course he _had_ to say yes.

000

The fair was loud and busy. Night had fallen in this world, and the attractions were lit up with so many colorful lights that it was as if they were standing in a galaxy of stars. Aqua gasped and raised her hands to her face. "It's beautiful!"

Minato smiled. He'd chosen the right world. _If only it was just us._ He let out a soft sigh then turned to the others. "What do you want to try first?"

Terra, now that they had arrived, looked awestruck, but anxious, glancing around like he expected Eraqus to appear behind them and give them a scolding. "It's our first world, so maybe we shou-"

Aqua interrupted him, dashing over to the nearest ride. "Let's do this!" It was a large, open-air cage filled with small one-man pods. "What is it?"

"Ah, that's the bumper cars. Everyone drives their own car and tries to c-crash into everyone else."

"Perfect!" She looked back to see the boys still a ways off, then ran back and pushed them from behind. "Come on!"

The trio joined the queue. While they waited, Aqua or Terra would point and ask about something and Minato would do his best to explain it, if he knew the answer. Even though he was disappointed that he and Aqua weren't alone, it was fun to be looked up to.

When they entered the cage, the three wordlessly split up to pick the cabs that were the farthest from each other. The battle began, each making their way across the arena, bumping into as many other drivers as they could on their way to the center. Several times they and other cars would get caught in driver pile-ups, and had to wait until enough cars had moved before they regained their mobility. They eventually made it to each other and the final showdown began. Terra and Minato met first.

"Have you been keeping count?" Minato called out.

"Keeping… uhhh.. Yeah, kinda?" Flustered, Terra didn't dodge Minato's charge in time.

"Reeaally? What're you at? I'm—" Aqua ramming her cab into the side of Minato's knocked the wind out of him.

"Get driving, boys! You're sitting ducks right here!" she teased as she reversed the car and prepared for a second attack. The boys quickly recovered and backed away from each other. Aqua once again aimed for Minato, but he curved out of the way in time.

Terra took this opportunity to strike at Aqua and slammed into the back of the cab. Minato used Terra's momentum against him, running full force into his car and pushing them forward in a three car train. Terra was caught in between them as they took turns pushing him around. The train grew longer as the other drivers drew closer until no one was moving anymore.

The bell rang and the fun was over. Aqua and Terra chattered excitedly over the new experience as Minato led them to the booths and stalls. They took turns tossing rings or throwing balls or bobbing for apples (which was a particularly embarrassing activity for all of them) until they decided it was time for a snack.

The food wagon smelled delicious, but the children limited themselves to sodas, pizza and funnel cakes, and a bag of cotton candy for later.

"It's really cool that Master Iqarus lets you travel around like this," Terra said while jamming his face full of pizza.

Aqua tore off a piece of her funnel cake and popped it into her mouth. "Though we'll be in a lot of trouble if Master Eraqus finds out."

"Yeah." Minato absentmindedly picked the toppings off his pizza. "But we'll be fine." He glanced up. "You sure you should be eating all that?"

"Man's gotta eat," Terra shrugged as he swallowed a cake whole and downed a soda.

"Oh, so you're a man now? Guess it's a good thing we have an _adult_ accompanying us, huh Aqua?"

"Yep! We won't have to worry about him let us do anything _irresponsible_."

Terra let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, whatever, so I'm still a kid. But I already ate it all so there's no use going on about it."

They tossed their trash and were drawn onto something resembling a giant spider. The children lowered the safety bars over their shoulders and the ride took off, spinning round and round. Minato's hands squeezed the bar when they lifted off the ground, but loosened as he got used to the inertia.

On his right, Aqua had her eyes shut tight but her grin was all he needed to know she was having fun.

On his left, Terra had turned green, lips pressed tight. He probably regretted eating the funnel cake.

Minato suppressed a laugh and looked back to Aqua. Her eyes were open now. The ride jerked as it sped up and she let out an involuntary shriek.

Their eyes met. Terra moaned. Then it was over.

The world kept spinning even after they got off as Terra stumbled as fast as he could to a toilet.

Left alone, the other two wandered around and found the center of the fair. The focal point was a stage adorned with hundreds of lights flashing red and blue and green. They watched the display in silence.

The crowds ebbed and flowed around them. Sometimes a break formed and it seemed like they were alone, and other times the waves of people blocked the view of the stage and drowned out their thoughts.

"Thank you for today."

Aqua broke the silence first, eyes breaking away from the dancing lights to meet his. "This world is so beautiful, and a lot of fun. I almost don't want to go back," her voice fell to a whisper as her gaze returned to the stage.

"I'm glad you liked it."

She smiled bashfully. "And thanks for inviting Terra. I know—"

"Eurgh, I'm back." Aqua quickly cut herself off upon Terra's return. "How are you guys not sick at all? That thing churned up my insides."

"It's your own fault for eating so much!" Minato tore his eyes off Aqua to look at Terra. His arms were wrapped around his stomach, his face still slightly pale.

"Yeah yeah, I've learned my lesson." He laughed weakly. "Can we do something slow next?"

"How about the Ferris wheel?" Minato pointed to the tall structure in the distance. "No bumping, no whirling."

"And it looks like we could see the whole world from the top! Just... make sure not to get sick while we're up there."

The line was short, and when they got to the front they learned the Ferris wheel was about to shut down for its scheduled maintenance and the employees were letting the line finish off before doing so. The kids entered the cabin, careful not to trip as they boarded the slow-moving compartment.

They gazed out the windows as they rose above the fair. The people and attractions grew smaller and smaller until they were hardly bigger than the tip of minato's thumb.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Aqua's hands and face were pressed against the glass as she watched the scene below. "Look, all the rides are lit up!"

Indeed, as they reached the top they could see new lighting on the attractions that they couldn't see from the ground. Everything was a different color, with differing shades and hues so that no two rides looked the same.

The children entertained themselves by pointing out other guests and making up stories for them. The grandmother with her grandchildren whose parents were busy with their jobs. The couple that had only just gotten together. A teacher with her students on their first field trip who didn't seem to have a handle on her proteges, several managing to run away to ride the Orbiter. The lonely boy who was looking for a friend.

It felt like they were in the sky for an eternity, but were no less enthralled by the spectacle beneath them. Even so, the return to earth came sooner than any of them would have liked.

They reluctantly stepped out of the cabin and the engineers began their work. The children's remorse was short lived, however, and they wasted no time in searching for something else to do.

A hand grabbing his wrist forced Minato to a halt. Terra and Aqua didn't notice and kept walking. He turned and saw a boy a little shorter than he was looking at him with fierce but uncertain eyes. The boy opened his mouth.

"Oh hello, Minato! What a surprise seeing you here!" Master Iqarus appeared in time to save Minato, an unsalted pretzel in hand. The boy backed off and vanished into the crowd. "Were you being mugged? You really need to keep your guard up in places like this. Are you here all by yourself?"

"Master! No, Aqua and Terra are here too. But where've you been?"

"Oh, here and there. Spoke to an old friend or two. But never mind that, let's find Terra and Aqua and take you home." With that, Iqarus placed a hand on Minato's shoulder and guided him through the fair.

As they walked, Minato gestured to the pretzel. "Master Eraqus was wondering where you were and I see you're here enjoying yourself while I train my butt off. "

His Master ripped off part of her pretzel and shoved the chunk in his mouth; he chewed it indignantly. "I came here looking for you after meeting with Eraqus, so I don't need that attitude of yours."

Terra and Aqua were waiting at the stage center, Terra having recovered from his earlier misfortune and was now munching on a cup of churros, Aqua carefully scooping into a deep fried ball. There were now dancers and acrobats on the stage, moving in time to the lights and blaring music.

Aqua saw them first. "Minato! And Master Iqarus!"

"Hello, you two. Having fun?" Iqarus and Minato approached the duo.

"Yes! Do you go to places like this often?"

"Hmm, sometimes. But now we should get you back before Eraqus rampages through the worlds looking for you. You've certainly caused him a great deal of worry."

"Were.. were we gone that long? Oops." Terra tried to look apologetic while taking a big bite out of another churro.

"Then I guess it's time to go home," Iqarus ushered the apprentices through the corridor of light she summoned.

On the other side, Master Eraqus was pacing back and forth in his office. The moment they all stepped through, he gave them a long lecture about running away without at least leaving a note beforehand. He finally stopped when the children couldn't stop themselves from yawning and sent them all to bed.

Minato collapsed into his bed and thought about their adventure. Everyone had had a lot of fun (though maybe some less than others) and they hadn't gotten into any real trouble at the end of it. All in all, it turned out pretty well. He fell asleep smiling.

* * *

 _The sky was black, and darkness swirled around his feet. There was nothing there with him in the abyss and he could feel himself sinking into the ground. He began to panic as an apparition formed from the shadows._

 **Y͢o͟u ̕didǹ't ̨help̸ m̡e.̷**

 _A distorted.. it wasn't a voice.. but a noise echoed from the dark shape as it morphed into a giant creature with glowing yellow eyes and a terrifying grin bound by dark tendons._

 **Yo͝u w̛ere d͠i͝s͜tr͘a̛cte̕d̢ b̧y ́s͘o҉méthi̕n̷g̷ so trivíal.͡**

 _Its long arms stretched out to grab him and he made a vain attempt to escape but was glued to the spot by the dark mist around his ankles._

 **B̴u͟t̡ ýou͢ ͘ca̢n̷'t i̶g̢ńo͡r̸e m͡e͟ an͘y͝m͜o͢r̡e̴.͟**

 _The monsters claw-like fingers wrapped around him._

 **Y͏ou wi͟ll f̸ac͜e m̡e͜.**

 _The creature lifted him up and he was brought to its horrible smile. He wriggled and writhed but he couldn't break free and was left with no other option than to watch as he was devoured by the darkness._

Minato gasped and opened his eyes. He was soaked in sweat and shivering despite the warm night. _What was that? A nightmare?_ Surely he was too old for those. But he was shaken nonetheless, and left his room to get a snack.

He found Aqua in the kitchen, a bowl of cereal on her right and a novel on her left. He poured himself a bowl and sat across from her.

"Is it any good?" Minato pointed at the book. He'd noticed he spoke to her a lot more easily now, starting the conversation more often.

Aqua jumped. "When did...? Um, yeah. It's about a girl who's adopted by a pair of siblings and learns to adapt to life in her new home. I like it so far. I think it's relatable to how all of us first got here."

"Really? How?"

Aqua set down her book. "Well Terra and I arrived at around the same time, but at first Terra didn't want to be a Keyblade Master at all."

"Whaat? Then why's he here? And what about you?" _And why's everything gotta loop back to Terra?_

"Because there was nowhere else for him to go. As for myself, this has always been my dream."

She chuckled, "It was the idea that he could become a 'hero'," she bent her fingers to make air quotes, "that finally won him over.

Back then, it was just the three of us. We were more similar to the siblings while the Master was Anne, I think. But then you and Master Iqarus showed up, and you keep getting everyone into trouble." She smiled like she was trying to hold back a laugh.

"S-sorry."

"It's alright, somehow everything's turned out okay. We all had trouble fitting in at first, but now we're the best of friends. And Ventus will probably be the same.

So," she clasped her hands in front of her in an imitation of Eraqus, "why are you down here so late at night?"

He startled. He'd forgotten about the dream. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to eat something." He couldn't tell her about the nightmare and risk sounding lame.

Aqua let out a peal of laughter. "You boys are all the same! Master Eraqus came down just a few minutes before you did with the same excuse!" she calmed down. "But I guess I'm doing it, too. Food really helps calm the mind, doesn't it?"

Minato laughed quietly. "Yeah, it does." Suddenly feeling bashful, he put his dishes in the sink and said, "Well I guess I'll go back to my room. G'night."

"Good night, Minato." She watched him leave before resuming her reading.

* * *

Minato swung his sword at Iqarus. She parried, stabbing at his throat. He ducked and swiped at her legs, landing a hit. Her knees buckled.

"Very good! Shall we up the pace?"

They had restarted their sparring sessions now that Iqarus had returned. Minato, according to his Master, had progressed his skill as a swordsman only minimally while he only had Terra or Aqua as his partner. As such, she decided to rectify this.

However her student seemed more tired than usual.

"Yeah, let's go," he yawned, and Iqarus narrowed her eyes, and noticed the bags under his.

"While it is true that sometimes you will have to fight while half-asleep, it's not necessary to practice that way." She sat cross legged on the stone, patting the ground next to her. "Rest a bit."

He obediently sat beside her, nodding off in seconds before jerking his head back up. How long had it been since he last slept?

"Minato, are you not sleeping well?" Iqarus placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

He shrugged. "I dunno." Then he sighed and admitted, "I've been.. having these weird dreams lately. I'm not sure what they mean, but it freaks me out."

"What are they about?"

"A monster. I think it's trying to speak to me, but I never remember what it says. I just know I wake up right as it's about to eat me."

"Do you mean a Heartless?"

He shook his head. "No.. It was made of darkness, but it didn't feel like a Heartless."

"Hmm… I'm not an expert on dreams, but perhaps you're worried about something, and the monster represents your worry. Think on that for now, and consider ways to confront it." Iqarus jumped to her feet. "Let's work on your magic for the time being, shall we?"

"Yeah.. Thanks, Master."

* * *

"Why won't you wake up?" Minato watched the boy in the bed sleep away. _I don't know how you got like this, but you have to beat it!_

Iqarus had finally let him take a break from training, and he'd decided to sit in Ventus' room to think. He didn't feel comfortable in his own.

He thought about many things. His life here. Aqua. Terra. Their Masters. But the thing that kept coming back to him as he looked down at Ventus were the dreams. His fears of being swallowed by the darkness and ending up like the boy before him were only exacerbated by the nightmares of precisely that. Iqarus' words came to mind. _I'm only having these dreams_ because _I'm afraid._ Knowing that didn't make him feel any better.

He was broken out of his reverie by someone else entering the room. He glanced up to see Aqua staring at him in surprise. Then she smiled.

"Did you come here to think, too?" she asked as she propped herself onto the desk beside him, crossing her ankles.

"You too?"

"Mmhm. I couldn't concentrate in the library, so I'm taking a break. How's Master Iqarus? We never see her at the castle."

"She's alright. Though her training's gotten more intense."

"Yeah, you look pretty tired. Is it that difficult?"

"Nah. That's just..." He fell silent.

"Minato?"

"What would you do if I ended up like him?" he pointed at the sleeping boy.

"...I don't know. There isn't much I _could_ do..." Her eyes widened in fear. "Is that what's.. I would be terrified! But.. you won't. You're strong, Minato." She resumed her smile, but slightly less cheerful than before.

The resulting quiet dragged on to almost awkward levels before one of them finally spoke again.

"So how was that book?" A change of subject.

"Huh? Oh, I finished it last night, actually. It was nice. It had a happy ending, of course, but what's so bad about that?"

"Who said it…" Movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. "Did he just..?"

Aqua whipped around to her feet. The boy in the bed slowly opened his eyes, mouth moving but not speaking.

"You're awake! Ventus! It's a miracle!" Aqua, in a fit of emotion, wrapped Minato in a quick hug before racing to the door. "Terra! Master Eraqus! Ventus is awake!"

Minato helped the boy as Ventus struggled to sit up. Terra arrived first.

"Aqua! Is it true? Woah!" Terra hurried over to the bed and asked Minato, "How'd it happen?"

"I dunno, he just... woke up." He and Terra helped Ventus stand as Eraqus finally appeared.

"Don't rush the boy! Let him rest!"

"But Master, that's all he's _been_ doing!" Minato protested.

"And he tried to get up first! What were they supposed to do, _sit_ on him?" Aqua added.

Eraqus sighed. "Just don't let him strain himself. You don't want him to fall back asleep, do you?"

The students solemnly shook their heads as Ventus, eyes glazed over, looked unseeingly at them all.

"I thought not. Now, let Ventus rest just a little more and come eat lunch."

000

The next few days were slow and tortuous as everyone did their best to return Ventus to a mostly functional level. He regained his ability to walk and eat quickly, but remained mute and unfocused, and would stand without moving for so long he might've been asleep. The only time this changed was at night when he screamed and clawed at whatever demons were trying to drag him back to the darkness.

It was Aqua who took on the responsibility of looking after him, much to the dismay of her other friends. The stress of staying up all night was clear on her face, and whenever she wasn't training or watching Ventus, she was napping somewhere nearby.

"She's not his mom. We have two Masters perfectly fine for that role!" Terra complained to Minato one day, while Aqua slept on a bench overlooking the castle. Ventus was staring off into space as usual.

"It's the way she is. It'd definitely be better if she slept more, though." The boys sighed. "Ready?" With a nod from Terra, they lifted their practice swords and faced each other.

It was a short match. Not because of any superior skill from either of them, but because Ventus had walked over and grabbed another sword from its stand, seemingly looking it over before grasping its handle in such a way that the blade went behind him. The other two gaped at him.

"H-hey! Did you wanna spar, too, Ventus?" Terra called out.

The boy looked at Terra, his mouth moving.

"What was that?" Minato asked, the boys moving closer to hear.

"Call me... Ven," were the words that formed.

"A-Alright. So then, Ven, did you want to practice with us?"

Ven looked back at the sword in his hand, then nodded, slowly but deliberately.

"Well, uh, okay, but you're holding your weapon backwards... um.." Terra tried correcting Ven's posture, but the other boy refused to budge.

Minato laughed. "He's pretty stubborn for someone who up till just a second ago wasn't doing anything at all."

"You think this is funny, do ya? Sounds like we have our volunteer for first opponent!" He gave up on Ven's sword and backed away to give them room. "Well? Have at it!"

Minato took a few steps back. "Uh, you get first strike, okay?" _Gotta go easy on him. I'll just do this enough to appease him._ Minato barely saw the kid move. Next thing he knew, he was on the ground, Ventus and his empty eyes looking down at him with what appeared to be a pout on his lips.

"Woah! You're really quick! Hey Minato, you were supposed to fight back, you know."

Minato grit his teeth, then forced them loose. "You heard the man. Up for a rematch?"

Ven nodded again and stepped away. Minato readied himself for round two. This time, he knew what to expect. He parried Ven's strike in the nick of time. It was fast, but still really weak, he noted. He kept parrying and dodging, only attacking with light taps. Then Ventus disappeared.

"Wha?" Minato looked around in bewilderment and felt a breeze on the back of his neck. He whipped around to block Ven's surprise attack from the rear, reflexively maneuvering his blade to disarm the boy and knocking him to the ground.

 _Who trained this kid?_ he wondered to himself as he asked, "You okay?"

Ventus stood up and sluggishly dusted himself off in response.

"You did great, Ven," Terra said from the sidelines.

"Yeah, that was pretty good," Minato agreed.

"What are you doing?" Aqua's voice called out to them from the other side of the summit. It appeared the commotion had woken her up. "Are you making Ventus fight? What would the Master say?"

"He asked to join! Don't blame this on us!" Terra retorted.

"He.. He did?" This got Aqua to hop over the back of the bench and run over. "Ventus spoke?"

"Not much. And he hasn't said anything since." Minato said this to her as she passed him to look Ven in the eyes.

"Hey. Did you want to spar with them?"

Ven nodded as Terra scoffed and Minato rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Aqua was delighted.

"He responds when we talk to him! That's great! Do you know who we are, Ventus?"

Another nod, more hesitant.

"So then what's my name?"

He stared at her in silence. Then "A...qua." She looked on the verge of tears. "Mina..to... Terra." Ven's eyes showed a glimmer of satisfaction as they nodded in turn. Then he lifted the sword and aimed it at Terra.

"Guess it's your turn now,' Minato waved as he moved aside. Aqua followed behind.

"Don't be too rough!" she reminded him.

"I _know_!" Terra huffed, and raised the practice blade. Ventus once again disappeared in a flash, but Terra, having watched his battle with Minato, was prepared and blocked the attack.

"Amazing," Aqua breathed. "He normally moves so slowly, but when he's fighting, he's like the wind. But why's he holding the sword like that?"

The fight ended abruptly when Terra misjudged the strength of his swing and hit Ven in the gut. The boy crumpled to the ground, arms wrapped around his stomach.

"Ven!" they cried and rushed to check on him. They thought they heard a small chuckle come from his mouth, but when he sat up, his face still bore the same vacant look.

He made his way up again and once more lifted his weapon.

"I... think that's enough for today, Ven. You did good," Terra said. Ventus seemed disappointed, but put the sword back in the stand. Minato and Terra did, as well, and the four of them went down the mountain back to the castle.

Ven didn't say another word that day, but the development gave them all renewed hope in his recovery.

* * *

"So I was thinking we could make two cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla. We could also make some pies?, or- oh! We could try making truffles! Have you ever had truffles? I didn't really like them but Ven might. Or maybe we should make ice cream. Everybody likes ice cream! But what about—"

"Aqua. Just one cake should be enough." Minato interrupted Aqua's flustered rambling and held up a recipe for a simple strawberry cake.

With Ventus showing more awareness of the world around him, it had been decided that they would have a party of sorts to officially welcome him to the family. Aqua had roped Minato in to helping her prepare the dessert. She'd gone into a frenzy, bringing what seemed like every cookbook from the library into the kitchen.

"But what if he doesn't like cake? Here, look. A recipe for sea salt ice cream. Doesn't that look delicious?" She pushed a book into his face and he had to move it back to get it in focus.

"Do we have everything we need?" He skimmed the list. They did. "Sure, if you think we can do it."

"Aaaaargh _no!_ That's not good enough! Ice cream is too normal!" She slammed the book onto the counter and put her head in her hands. "We need something _special_ for his first party."

Minato sighed and looked around the kitchen for something that would placate the storm next to him. Storm was definitely the word for her, with the way she had blown around the room, books flying everywhere and landing on the floor and the counters and even in the sink, pages strewn about like a typhoon had come through.

A recipe card at his feet caught his eye and he picked it up. "Mou..sey? What about this?"

Aqua raised her head to see. "That's _mousse_. Why do you think we should make that?"

"It looks simple enough, and it doesn't take long to make." He gave her a shy smile. "And it's different from ice cream."

"It's nothing _like_ ice cream. Have you ever even _tried_ mousse before, Minato?"

"I have! Once. With my mom. I didn't know how it was spelled though, so I thought it was a pudding flavored like moose. Imagine my disappointment when it was just chocolate!"

This got her to relax and she giggled. "You know, you're a dork." It occurred to her that he never talked about his parents. Well, none of them talked about their parents, but she decided to ask about his. "What was she like?"

"My mom? Hmm... She was strong, I guess. But she was pretty weak when it came to me."

"She was the type who spoiled her kids?"

Minato chuckled and looked away. "Maybe a little. She took me anywhere I wanted to go. I don't think there was a moment we were apart."

He flinched as she put her hand on his. "What happened?"

His smile faltered. "Mom was strong, but there was somebody stronger than her." He went quiet for a moment before plastering on a grin. "But that was a long time ago. And now I have you guys, right? So, mousse or continue throwing books?"

Aqua blinked at the change of subject. "I suppose the mousse will work."

They gathered the ingredients.

"Maybe that's a curse of being a Keyblade wielder," Aqua whispered.

"Hmm?" Minato looked up from pouring the cream into a bowl.

"When I started training with Master Eraqus, I still had both of my parents. I would go visit them every day I could," she began, chopping the fruit. "But one day, they were caught in a violent accident. Neither survived."

He didn't know what to say, so he just whipped the cream.

"But as you said, that was a long time ago. And yes, you _do_ have us. We're the only family we've got left, so we have to cherish our time together."

"...What if I don't want us to be family?"

"What?"

"What if I don't want to be treated like everyone else? What if..." he hesitated, the rest of his question barely audible. "I want to be special? To you?"

"You _are_ special to me. I don't think you could _not_ be special," she said, a blush creeping up her face. "But I couldn't just ignore Terra or Ven. We're all they have, too, you know."

"I.. I guess.." _Did I actually hear that?_ "Do you.."

"Ah! The cream is done, Minato! Don't over beat it!" She snatched the bowl from him and moved to fold in the fruit puree. He watched her quietly, his thoughts a wild mess.

There was no way she meant that the way he wanted her to. She just meant because he was some freak with darkness.

"I'm not sure why you have that look on your face, but you're probably overthinking things." She didn't even look up as she finished the mousse. He helped her divide it up into servings and they placed the mousse in the refrigerator to chill until the party.

Minato must have still looked troubled, because Aqua gave him a concerned look. "You okay?"

 _Now or never._ "I... I like you, Aqua."

She blinked, then laughed. "Is that what's been bothering you? I already knew that, dork!" She laughed harder as his face turned beet red and he stammered incoherently, but managed to calm herself down. She faced him and held his hands, cheeks pink. "I like you, too."

"R-really?" He still couldn't believe his ears.

"Truly." She kissed him on the cheek then let go. "But today is Ven's day. Come on, let's put these books up."


	3. Traces of Darkness

Minato looked up at the stars outside the castle. The night was cold, but not uncomfortably so, and the stars were shining especially brightly that night. He even saw a few shoot across the sky.

"Can't sleep either?" He heard Terra ask from behind him.

Minato didn't look away from the sky. "I wasn't expecting a meteor shower this time of year, so I came outside to get a better look. Ven's probably watching from the training area, and knowing Aqua, she'll be right there with him."

"It's got an excellent view," Terra remarked.

"Mm, but a little farther from the warmth of my bed than I'd like."

Terra nudged him with his elbow. "Come on, it's the last night before the exam."

 _The last night all four of us will be apprentices._ "Alright." Minato rolled his eyes and the two set off for the summit.

As expected, Ventus and Aqua were there, sitting on the ledge overlooking the world.

"Hey Aqua," Ven was saying, "You ever wonder what stars are? Where Light comes from?"

"Hmm, well they say," she began, hoping to answer both of the boy's questions.

"That every star up there is another world," Terra announced their arrival by answering for her.

"Terra!" "Minato!" They turned to see the two boys approaching to sit on either side of them.

"Are there really that many worlds out there?" Ven looked up wide-eyed towards the sky.

"Yep. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"And the light we see is actually their hearts." Minato leaned over to look at Ven with an ominous grin, "But nobody knows where shooting stars come from."

The younger boy looked at him unamused. "Yeah? That true, Terra?" For some reason Minato didn't understand, Ventus never took his word seriously.

"Why're you asking me? Maybe you can find out the answer yourself someday," Terra ruffled Ven's hair, making him pout.

"As if. The Master would never let me see other worlds to do that."

Nobody had an answer to that, so to change the subject, Aqua jumped to her feet. "Oh yeah, since we have our Mastery exams tomorrow, I made these!"

She reached into a pouch on her side while the boys rose and watched curiously. "I made us good luck charms!" she smiled as she held the items up for display.

Aqua tossed one to each of them, and Minato whistled when he caught his. The charm was a star made of stained dark blue glass with black trimming. The others' were different colors, but were all made with equal amounts of skill and care.

"I get one, too?" Ven looked at his with amazement.

"Of course. One for each of us."

"These're amazing, Aqua," Minato said as he held his up to the light.

She chuckled. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit. And the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other." She added with an embarrassed smile, "Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had."

Terra shook his head. "Oy, sometimes you are such a girl."

"Hey, what do you mean, 'sometimes'?" Aqua feigned indignance.

"So this isn't a real good luck charm?" Ven looked crestfallen.

"Not you, too, Ven!" Terra couldn't believe the effeminacy of the people around him.

Aqua ignored him and said to Ventus: "Well, that's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on it!"

"Really?" Ven lit up. "What?"

She laughed at his enthusiasm. "An unbreakable connection."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Terra put a hand to his face.

"Y'know, if you hate yours so much, you could give it to me," Minato reached for Terra's charm.

"Not a chance!" Terra lifted it above his head and out of Minato's reach. "I get that you're jealous and want all of Aqua's attention, but you're just gonna have to learn to share!"

"Share? I think you bumped your head a little hard during that hike, Terra. 'Sides, this is about that _girly_ charm you're hugging like a little kid hugs his blankie," Minato shot back.

Ven joined in with, "That coming from the guy who has nightmares every night."

"I don't need that from _you_ —" he was interrupted with a smack to the back of his head.

"Knock it off, you two! Look, you've set a bad example for Ven." Though she was pretending to be annoyed, a smile tugged at her lips.

Terra sighed. "Well tomorrow's the exam. Anybody wanna spar?" He grabbed a pair of training swords and held one up.

Ven grinned. "I can take ya!" Terra tossed him the extra sword and he caught it, holding the blade in that peculiar way of his.

Terra braced himself for the flurry of attacks he knew would come, blocking each blow with ease before landing a hit on his opponent, eliciting a grunt from the boy, who doubled over in pain.

"Are you okay?" Terra rushed to Ven's crouching body.

Minato watched as a flicker of a smirk appeared on Ven's face before he slashed at Terra. He had let his guard down. The older boy barely had time to raise his sword and stumbled backwards.

Ven stood over Terra, shaking his head. "Quit goin' easy on me! You're not gonna win unless you stay on the offensive!"

Aqua approached from the sidelines, wielding her own weapon. "Well, that works fine if you're fighting one on one. But you need to know how to handle a crowd, too. Terra, you're out. Minato, you could use the practice, as well!"

Upon being summoned, Minato scratched the back of his head and reluctantly stood beside her while Terra got up and moved to watch from the bench.

Minato lifted the sword Terra had been using above his head while Aqua readied hers by her side. "Ready, Ven?"

"Yeah!"

Of course, he lost, but he made good work deflecting Aqua's spells and Minato's close range attacks. He landed several hits on Minato and got quite close to landing a hit on Aqua once before she twirled out of his range.

"Okay, let's wrap this up!" Terra called from where he sat as Ven once more was knocked to the ground by a blast of energy.

Ven laughed as he righted himself. "Trust me, you guys are ready. You're gonna clean up at the exam tomorrow."

"I hope it's that easy." Terra rejoined them as the others returned the practice weapons.

"It's like the Master said. Power is born within the heart. When the time is right, you just need to look inside yourself, and you'll find it there," Aqua placed a hand on her chest, smiling. "We'll make it."

Minato laughed. "Well I'm glad someone's sure of herself."

"Of course. We've put our all into our training, and Master Eraqus wouldn't have prepared the exam if he didn't think we were ready."

Then Ven yawned, which resulted in a chain of yawns from the others.

"Guess it's time to head back," Terra said through his hand. "Come on, sleepyhead." Ven nodded and trudged along beside Terra. Aqua and Minato lingered behind.

"No matter what the future has in store for us, I know we'll always have each other," Aqua whispered.

Minato snorted. "What, did you think we'd all just stop seeing each other once we became Masters? You worry too much." He held her hand. "So long as this world exists, I know I at least will always come back here. So you do, too, alright?"

She smiled at him and looked back up at the stars. "You're right. We'll be together... always."

And hand in hand, they proceeded down the hill.

* * *

Minato, Aqua, and Terra arrived in the grand hall early that morning. They had skipped breakfast, too anxious to eat anything, and approached the back of the room. Ventus was already there, as were Eraqus, Iqarus, and another, much older looking man whom Minato presumed to also be a Master. The Masters were sitting in the thrones.

Eraqus rose as the examinees stood before him.

"Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one, but _three_ of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates, but this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy– not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Any of you may prevail, or none."

Minato gulped. He could hear Terra shifting his weight, and Aqua controlling her breathing.

Eraqus carried on with his speech.

"But I am sure our guest, Master Xehanort, did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark," he nodded at the older man behind him.

"I trust you are ready."

The apprentices nodded in unison. "Yes."

"Then let the examination begin."

Eraqus lifted his Keyblade and conjured several balls of light. The orbs started to move but then froze and began twitching. Dark tendrils wrapped around the orbs and they sped around the room erratically. One of them rushed for Ventus who disintegrated it with his own Keyblade.

"Ven!" Aqua cried, aiming a chunk of ice at an orb.

"Don't worry about me. You guys focus on the exam!" Ven rolled to dodge a beam of light sent by another sphere.

"He can take care of himself," Terra said as he swung his blade and destroyed two at once.

"Let's focus on what's in front of us for now." Minato stabbed at two more in rapid succession, moving on to several across the room by the time they disappeared.

The four of them quickly dispatched the remaining spheres while the Masters looked on. None took issue to Ventus' participation, but instead took the opportunity to observe his progress.

"That was unexpected," Eraqus said once the last of the orbs evaporated. "But one must keep a still heart even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I chose to let unfold. Which brings us to your next trial."

A loud collective growl from the examinees' stomachs interrupted Eraqus. He sighed as they avoided his eyes and ordered they take a break and actually _eat_ rather than pass out mid-examination. Afterwards, they returned to the hall.

"Now, each of you will face another in combat. Remember: there are no winners, only truths, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed. Minato and Aqua, you will start."

The chosen students stood opposite each other with their Keyblades at the ready. Terra and Ventus were moved to either side of Eraqus' throne to give Aqua and Minato space for their duel.

"Begin!" Eraqus called from his seat.

A brief moment as the two waited to see who would strike first before both charged forward at the same time. They each landed a few hits, but most slashes were blocked by the other's Keyblade. The fight was intense, and those watching expected every blow to be the last. It really seemed to be at its end when Aqua knocked Minato to the ground, pinning his arm to the floor.

It was then that he swung his other arm, bathed in a cool white light that strongly resembled his Keyblade, disarming Aqua and rolling back up to place both weapons on her shoulders to symbolize her defeat.

The Masters' eyes widened and Eraqus' jaw dropped. They stared, dumbfounded, at the blade of pure light in Minato's grasp and their vision shifted into an unknown world.

 _Minato crossed his Keyblades across the dark figure's neck, his dark cape and outgrown hair flowing in the breeze. Though he was older and more haggard, his eyes were still filled with determination. The figure smiled an empty smile, golden eyes reflecting the light of his Keyblades._

With a blink the vision was gone and reality returned to normal.

Minato noticed the silence and looked back. The teachers quickly regained their composure and Eraqus waved to signal the end of the duel.

Minato relinquished the weapons, Way of the Damned fizzling into smoke, the mysterious other blade dissolving into a shower of light. Aqua recovered from her shock and smiled."That was a good match," she said, breathing hard.

"I'm surprised I won," Minato looked at his hand, opening and closing his fist.

"If it makes you feel better, I would have won had you not pulled that trick out of your sleeve," she laughed, and he gave her a small smile.

After a short break, Minato found himself up against Terra.

"Don't hold back for me, Minato," he taunted. Minato grinned, but in his mind doubted he could summon the other sword even if he tried.

Terra dashed for Minato's sword arm, intending to incapacitate him. Whether it was to end the match as soon as possible or an attempt to force Minato's hand again didn't matter. Minato ducked and dodged, knocking Terra on the back. The two went back and forth, trading blows until eventually the fight ended, with Minato the victor. There was never a need for the second weapon.

"That was a good match," he grinned.

"You can't say that, you're the winner!" Terra whacked him on the knee, a strained smile on his face.

"Enough play," Eraqus called from across the hall. "Terra and Aqua, we will begin your duel when you are ready."

Minato joined Ventus beside the thrones as Aqua and Terra faced off. Terra swung recklessly, leaving himself open to Aqua's strike, and Minato saw something seeping out of Terra's arm before Terra shook it off. He glanced at the Masters, but none seemed to have noticed. The fight continued with frustration becoming more apparent on Terra's face as it went on. All his brute strength proved to be no match for Aqua in the end, and she stood victorious.

"Well done. The other Masters and I will discuss your results," Eraqus told them. "Until then, please remain here. Ventus, you may go, but I assume you wish to partake in your friends' successes?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Ven agreed.

And with a small smile, Eraqus led Iqarus and Xehanort to his office.

The group met at the edge of the throne steps. Ventus cheered. "You guys did amazing! Except for you, Minato. You cheated," he stuck his tongue out and Minato ruffled the younger boy's hair.

"It was an accident. I didn't even know I could do that."

Aqua put a hand to her chin. "Maybe it's the 'light' part that book was talking about."

"Huh?"

"Your Keyblade. ' _It chooses those who have power over both Realms_.' So you just channeled the light this time."

"Man, why don't _I_ get cool super powers?" Terra complained.

Aqua frowned at him, hands on her hips. "Maybe because _you_ haven't changed the way you fight for six years. I expected more of a challenge from you, Terra."

"The way I fight... You memorized our fighting styles? Geez, you really went above and beyond for this," Terra was impressed.

Minato, too. "Yeah, that's really impressive, Aqua. I'd never put that much thought into it."

"Don't say that! You'll make me feel worse for losing!"

The four erupted into a fit of giggles, but abruptly stopped when they heard a door open. The examinees repositioned themselves in a line and Ven went back to the wall.

The Masters emerged from Eraqus' office. Iqarus and Xehanort stood behind while Eraqus stepped forward.

"We have deliberated and reached a decision." He considered the children in front of him before continuing. "Terra, Aqua, Minato, you all performed commendably. However, only two of you have shown the Mark of Mastery."

All three of the students tensed. No one wanted to know who it was that had failed to meet the Masters' standards.

"Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But there is always next time. That is all." He turned to the other two. "Minato, Aqua, as our newest Keyblade Masters, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instruction."

The veteran Masters left, with Xehanort excusing himself for a breath of fresh air, leaving the four students to absorb the news.

"Hey...," Aqua rested a hand on Terra's forearm.

Ven hurried over to mourn alongside him. "Terra, I'm sorry."

Minato scratched the back of his head. "Well that was unexpected. You alright?"

"The darkness... Where did it come from?" Terra murmured. He brushed off Aqua's arm and shook his head. "Sorry... but I need some time alone." He staggered off to the courtyard outside, and the other three watched him go.

"I've never seen Terra that depressed." For Ventus, Terra was the picture of unbreakable self-confidence. To see Terra so shaken up was a sign of just how much this had meant to him. He couldn't believe it.

"Congrats, you guys," Ven said before leaving to be alone himself. Only Aqua and Minato were left while the Masters discussed other matters.

"I don't understand. Did Terra do something he shouldn't have?" Aqua murmured.

"That can't be it. It's not like he actually _used_ the darkness. Besides, _I_ passed just fine, and I'm the resident problem child." Minato forced a dry chuckle. "Though I might have gotten a pass thanks to that light show earlier. But there's gotta be a different reason." _And this means the Masters_ did _see the miasma on his arm, after all._

Aqua didn't say anything in response and the two spent the next half hour in silence waiting for the Masters to return.

000

"Does it really matter if Xehanort isn't here for this?" Iqarus asked Eraqus, leaning against a wall while the other paced around the office. "You're the Master of this world, Eraqus. So it's up to you to decide the next Successor."

"Even so, it is customary for the attending Keyblade Masters to give their thoughts on the matter, to prevent bias from clouding my judgement."

"And of course we are both partial to our own students," she conceded.

"Yes. I was _hoping_ Xehanort would offer a third opinion. His logical way of looking at things is always appreciated." Eraqus pinched his nose.

"It certainly is unique. And while we are on the topic, do you have any insight on the mirage earlier?"

"Do you mean the battle between Aqua and Minato?" He stopped and considered the question. "It worries me. I wonder if we may have made a mistake."

"What, making them Masters? We already discussed this." Iqarus made an exasperated sigh and folded her arms. "The creature could hardly hold its physical form. Darkness is cunning, and its perceived sentience was most likely our own projections stemmed from its humanoid shape. Rather than worrying about something so far in the future, we should be focusing our efforts on the present to make certain that the balance remains in check."

"And what of the boy's second Key? Such a thing is unheard of! In fact, neither of his Keyblades should be in his possession. The second one is merely adding insult to injury."

"I agree it's strange, but considering she's been missing for years, it's not unlikely that she found someone to pass her blade on to."

"I still don't like it," Eraqus huffed.

Iqarus let out a small laugh. "You don't like anything." She paused. "I don't think he's coming, Eraqus."

He sighed. "Very well. Then while I understand I may be somewhat biased, I do sincerely believe Aqua is more suited to the task."

"No, I do, as well."

"What?" He had expected more of a fight.

"Minato is too hot-headed for such a role. Aqua is able to keep a clear head even in the most stressful of situations."

"...Then the matter is settled?"

She smiled. "Let's go tell them."

Back in the grand hall, the older Masters stood before their younger pupils.

"It seems Master Xehanort retired early. However," Eraqus began, and turned to Aqua, "Aqua, you have been chosen to be this world's Successor."

"Congrats," Minato said quietly. He was, of course, slightly envious of her for becoming the Successor, but as she was Eraqus' pupil and Minato was not, he could see why she had been chosen. Not to mention she deserved it.

"Minato, with me," Iqarus gestured for him to follow and led him to the library. "While you and Aqua are now both Keyblade Masters, as Successor, Aqua will be receiving special information that she may share with you at her discretion, but at the moment is for her ears only."

She looked him in the eye. "And as your Master, it is my duty to inform and remind you of your responsibilities. As always, respect the world order. Don't interfere unless absolutely necessary. Use your Keyblade only against those who would upset the balance of light and darkness."

"Yes, Master."

"Good! Now," she beamed, "good job on passing, Minato! You're now officially a responsible adult! You don't need that old geezer's permission to go to other worlds with your _girlfriend_." His Master snickered, and Minato barely had time to roll his eyes before she grew solemn once more.

"Minato. Now that you are a Keyblade Master, you may take under your wing an apprentice of your own. I don't expect you to do this immediately, but keep in mind that you should not pass on your Keyblade to just anyone. Not all are fit to bear this responsibility, and may come to resent you for giving it to them."

"I understand." Minato hesitated then asked, "Master, how did Terra fail the exam? You and I both know _darkness_ isn't the reason."

Iqarus considered the question before opening her mouth to answer. But before she could, the castle bells sounded and the two rushed back to the Grand Hall.

Terra arrived just after them.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. The Master has been whispering to that crystal," Aqua gestured to her mentor at the far wall, murmuring indistinctly as he faced a large pink crystal set in the wall.

Iqarus joined him while the younger three stayed put. Minato felt something tugging at his heart, originating from outside. He looked behind him but nothing more concrete formed.

Aqua glanced around. "Why isn't Ven here?"

Her question went unanswered as the two Masters turned from the crystal and stood in front of the thrones. Eraqus spoke first.

"That was our dear old friend Yen Sid. As you know, he is Master no more, but he still keeps a close eye on the tides of light and darkness. His council serves as signposts on the road we wielders of the Keyblade must walk."

"Which is all the more reason for concern, for he says the Princesses of Heart are in danger. Not only from the forces of darkness, as you would assume, but also from a new threat— one that feeds on negativity. Fledgling emotions that have taken monster form. Yen Sid calls them the 'Unversed'."

"As wielders of the Keyblade, you are tasked with striking down these threats to the world's balance. I tried passing this news on to Master Xehanort, but my repeated attempts to reach him have failed." At his words, Terra let out a soft gasp, but quickly recovered as Minato looked over at him. Eraqus continued, "I doubt there is any connection, and yet... This all troubles me."

"So here we are. We need you three to get this situation under control. Eliminate the Unversed, and find Master Xehanort. Master Eraqus and I will remain here to continue Ventus' training as well as keep this world safe from any potential threats."

"Remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell _anyone_ that there are other worlds. Now go, and fulfill your duty."

"Yes, Master!"

As soon as the Masters had finished the briefing, Terra turned to head out, but Master Eraqus stopped him and he turned to look at his Master. "Terra, consider this an opportunity. A second chance for you to change my mind."

Terra blinked. "What?" Minato watched silently, hoping for insight into the true reason behind his friend's failure.

"You must know, I care for you like my own son. If I could have my way, I would name you Master in a second. But how can I, when you are so obsessed with power?" His voice cracked, and he took a moment to regain his composure. " You musn't be afraid of losing. Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness." Eraqus put a hand on his pupil's shoulder. "You must never forget."

Terra bowed his head. "Thank you, Master. I swear... I will not fail you again." His confidence renewed, Terra once again set off for the courtyard.

Minato and Aqua shared a glance before Minato nodded to the Masters and headed for the stairs. It was then that he felt another strange tug on his heart that seemed to come from the dormitories. He changed course but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Iqarus had followed him. He allowed her to pull him to the side.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

Minato waved at the door. "I thought I sensed something from inside."

"Hmm, there shouldn't be anyone else here besides Ventus...," his teacher looked thoughtful. "Since I'm going to begin his lessons for today, would you like me to check for any suspicious persons on my way? You should focus on your mission."

Minato glanced back at the door to the dormitory worriedly. "I'd appreciate that, Master."

"Then you should be on your way. Oh, and there is one last thing you should know," she said softly. "You are correct that darkness was not the entire reason, however, you were allowed to pass was because you merely have a higher synchronicity with darkness, whilst Terra's lust for power will gnaw away at his heart. I want you, Minato, to try and guide Terra away from his obsessions and learn to accept the darkness within him. His denial of its existence will only tighten its hold on his heart."

"...I'll do my best," Minato flashed his Master a grin before once more turning to leave.

Outside, Aqua and Eraqus were at the base of the steps, Aqua having donned her armor already. She flew off on her Key glider as Minato and Iqarus reached the bottom.

"Minato," Eraqus sighed. "I'm afraid I may have given Aqua too many responsibilities at once. If you would, please make sure she doesn't overwork herself."

"She's an adult now, Eraqus! She can take care of herself," Iqarus clapped him on the back, making him grunt. "But yes, take care of your friends, Minato."

"Of course!" He bowed to them both, donned his black coat, and mounted his own glider. Then he flew through the gate in the sky.

* * *

Minato paused when he entered the InBetween, the mists and gases swirling around him. _Where should I go first?_ He noted the three worlds closest to his starting point. They all looked so peaceful. It was hard to believe there were monsters wreaking havoc on the surface.

He started for one of the worlds, one covered in thick woods, with a castle in the distance, and felt yet another tug. This time it came from the world slightly farther away, Enchanted Dominion. Without any hesitation, Minato sped toward it, his coat flapping behind him.

Landing in a large valley, Minato took in his surroundings. The ground was uneven, with numerous ledges and cliffs. Above him was the brighter looking castle with a bridge linking it to a hill. The horizon was a ring of tall mountains, and there were trees littered sparsely throughout the valley.

He couldn't identify the source of the sensation, its trace having vanished as he'd entered the world's atmosphere, but two figures on the bridge overhead caught his eye.

 _Is that Master Xehanort? What's he doing here?_

The elderly man was speaking to a tall woman in black robes. From this angle, he couldn't tell if her face was actually green or if it was a fashion choice, but her smile told him she wasn't someone to be trusted.

The breeze only carried snippets of their conversation, but there wasn't enough to make a clear guess as to what they were talking about. It didn't seem like Xehanort was being especially subtle about maintaining the world order, but even so, Minato was hesitant to confront the old Master while there was someone else to observe.

As he was considering the best course of action, a group of monsters materialized around him. At first he thought they were Heartless, but rather than being the pure black of darkness, they were differing shades of blues and reds, with markings on their bodies. _These must be the Unversed._

He summoned his Keyblade and went to work destroying the monsters. As they died, he could feel the negativity swirl together and evaporate, not returning to darkness like the Heartless would, but to wherever they originally came from.

Once again he felt the strange sensation in his heart and he looked up. Master Xehanort was walking through what looked like a gate, but it was made of darkness rather than of light. Seeing it, he knew that was where the feeling was coming from.

 _So it was my heart reacting to the darkness... But then why did I feel it in the dorms, too? Is Ven okay?_

He was torn from his thoughts by the arrival of Terra. He had just missed Xehanort. Minato hurried up the hill to go meet him while Terra exchanged a few words with the robed woman. But by the time he reached the bridge, Terra was already on the other side, running towards the castle. The woman turned and saw him. She smiled cruelly and vanished in a pillar of green flame.

 _She probably lives in the dark castle somewhere on this world. I should look for that and find out what she knows._ Having made his decision, Minato headed in the opposite direction of the bridge. He could hear the birds singing in the trees around him. The trees themselves gradually got thicker as he distanced himself from the castle, but the sun still shone through the treetops. _It's so peaceful here. Kinda a shame I'm only here for my mission,_ he thought as he passed through a glade.

The beauty of nature stopped abruptly a few minutes later as he found himself on the edge of a cliff overlooking the total opposite environment as the other side of the world. The castle was tall and overbearing, looming over a vast wasteland devoid of any signs of life. The only way to the castle was by a winding, narrow path that led straight to the gates.

Another batch of Unversed appeared in front of Minato and he quickly took them out. More Unversed would appear as he walked up the path to the castle, but all suffered the same fate. However, when he entered the castle, the Unversed stopped. He didn't quite understand it, but there seemed to be something stopping them from forming inside the castle walls.

He explored the interior and was impressed with how dulled the colors were. Minato would run into a batch of what he assumed were the castle guards who attacked him whenever they saw him, but whenever he struck them, they would disappear in the same green fire as the woman. He didn't find _her_ , though.

"Looking for someone?" A sarcastic sounding voice came from above him when he entered a circular room. "Sorry to disappoint, but there's no one here."

Looking up, Minato saw a boy clad in dark clothing sitting on a column overhead. He wore a helmet so his face wasn't visible, instead reflecting Minato's face. Still, his posture clearly communicated his disdain for others.

"You wouldn't happen to know where—" Minato began, but the boy cut him off.

"Nope. Sorry. _I_ can't help you, I've got places to be," his voice is tinged with anger.

Minato tilted his head in confusion. "Do I know you?"

The boy merely let out a derisive laugh and disappeared into one of the dark gates. Minato's eyes widened. _He's not from this world,_ he realized. And another thing— he could detect a faint difference between this boy's portal and Master Xehanort's.

He felt another flash of negativity outside the castle and ran toward it, Keyblade in hand. A swarm of Unversed were crowded onto the path, with several flying monsters bouncing around in the air.

"Where did these come from?!" Minato swatted some of the airborne ones out of the sky as he looked for a potential source. He couldn't sense anything and continued destroying the monsters. But for every monster he destroyed, two more took its place. He was growing tired and frustrated and the Unversed just kept piling on top of him and he found he'd stopped moving from how densely packed they all were and he just wanted it all to _stop._

"Looks like someone's in a tight spot," a voice sneered. "Man, if only there were someone who could get you out of this, huh?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Minato saw the boy from earlier leaning against the castle walls. He looked completely relaxed even surrounded by the Unversed.

"Kid, quit the snark and get out of here!" grunted Minato.

The boy barked a laugh. "I'd be more worried about myself if I were you."

"What?" he let out a grunt as he barely blocked a swing from a large monster with bulky arms. Several more circled him, winding up their arms for a synchronized attack. Irritation bubbled up in his gut. _For crying out loud, just_ "DISAPPEAR!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Around him, the Unversed collectively shuddered as a wave of shadow swept over them before fizzling out like smoke. He thought he heard something from the boy, but when he glanced to where he was, he was gone.

 _I feel sick... But I should hurry and make sure nothing happened on Terra's end._

Back at the grove, Minato ran into Terra, who waved when he saw him. "Hey, you made it out." He was clearly bothered by something, but tried to hide it.

It didn't fool Minato, though. "Something up? You're not still upset about this morning, are you?"

"What? No.. Have you seen Master Xehanort?" It was an obvious attempt at changing the subject, and Minato obliged.

"Actually, yeah. He left before you arrived. Sorry I didn't drop by and say hi."

"So I missed him." Terra's eyes glazed over as he considered this, but Minato had his own question.

"Have you seen a boy around here? He was around Ven's height and wore a mask."

"A boy? No, why?"

"I don't know, but I have a hunch he's related to the Unversed somehow. They didn't attack him when they swarmed me earlier."

"That could just be you," he tried for a laugh. "But I'll keep an eye out."

"Be careful. If he is involved, there's no telling what he's capable of." _Even if he's been all bark and no bite so far._

"I already have two worrywarts on my back, I don't need you doing it, too. But thanks." Terra gave him a small smile before remembering something. "Minato, Master Xehanort is looking for the Princesses of Heart."

"The Princesses of Heart? Maybe the Masters got in touch with him after all?"

"I don't think so. It may just be a feeling I have, but I don't think he's trying to protect them."

"Well when we find him, we can ask him. He's gotta have a reason."

"I just hope it's a good one."

Minato laughed. "What're you saying? He's a Keyblade Master, and he's Master Eraqus' friend."

But Terra had a point. And Minato couldn't shake the feeling that maybe the boy in the mask and Master Xehanort were connected somehow.


	4. Ghost of a Hero

After talking with Terra, the two split up and Minato was once again in the Lanes Between. A world that looked to be made of glass caught his eye. It had several rings of metal and light, an at its top was a dome with a current of energy connecting it to the center. He flew closer to get a better look and landed on a platform orbiting the world. Waiting there was a tall, well-built man with a trimmed beard, and a large sword on his back that Minato thought couldn't be reasonably used as a weapon.

"Another challenger for the arena?" the man said to him as his feet touched the ground, glider reforming into his Keyblade.

"Arena?" Minato peeked around the man to look into the glass bubble behind him, but all he could see was a giant lamp that prevented him from getting a glimpse inside.

"The Mirage Arena, where warriors from all the worlds come to show their strength, and discover their weakness. An excellent place to practice any skills one learns in their travels, and also boasts an extensive resource of data, attracting adventurers and scholars alike." The man chuckled. "Though I suppose you could be the latter, if your robe is anything to go by."

 _So he knows about other worlds..._ This wasn't unheard of; there were several worlds that were aware of the existence of worlds outside of their own. Some even took advantage of that fact and marketed their world towards tourists, like the amusement park the three of them had visited when they were kids. But it was still strange to him how many worlds there were like this when the world order was supposedly so important.

Minato turned the question to him. "What about you? Why are you here?"

The man cast his eyes out to space, a wistful look on his face. "Where else would a monster like me go?" Then he returned his gaze to Minato. "So, will you enter the arena and test your strength?"

Minato considered the invitation. _It might be worth checking out._ "Sure, I'll give it a shot."

With a nod, the man turned and that's when Minato noticed the solitary white wing on his back. It fluttered as the man stepped into a dip in the floor and disappeared. "I guess I'm supposed to follow him," he muttered and stepped in the dip after the man.

In the blink of an eye, Minato found himself teleported to what he recognized as the center of the bubble. Above his head was the lamp, shining as bright as the sun. In the center of the bubble was another dip in the floor, this one more pronounced, and on the other side of the area was a computer terminal.

"We should probably start off with something light," the man said as he booted up the terminal.

"Alright. But what'll I be fighting?"

"Well, generally you would choose a champion from history to face. Was there anyone you had in mind?"

"I'd rather just see what the arena can do." _After that, then we can look at specifics._

"Very well." The man tapped the screen and swiped past several setups before typing something in. "I have one that I think will be perfect for you." Finished with the computer, he turned to Minato.

"There will be three rounds. The first two will be enemies your primary opponent faced in their lifetime, and the final round will be the main target." The man smirked. "Don't worry about dying: the system is set to automatically shut down when you can no longer fight. Step into the transporter when you're ready."

Minato nodded and entered the depression, reappearing in a large room with a domed ceiling. The cap of the world that he'd seen from outside. The floor of the arena was checkered in blue and grey, and around the rim were strange shapes that made up a 'wall'.

Shadows appeared on the floor which rose up to form ant-like creatures of varying sizes, while puffs of smoke bubbled into existence overhead. Minato gasped when he saw their glowing eyes. "Heartless?! Why are they here?"

The man's voice echoed over a speaker. "They're just illusions created by the arena. The monsters you see aren't real, merely a recreation of those in reality." And Minato realized this was true— he couldn't sense any darkness being emitted by the creatures. _Guess I should just get this over with._

Minato lunged at one of the larger creatures, but it sunk back into the ground, reappearing behind him and grazing his back. He wasn't expecting it to be as fast as it was— he'd only ever faced the smaller ones. Thankfully they were just as predictable as the rest and he quickly caught on to their attack patterns. Soon, all the monsters were destroyed, fading back into darkness. Round one complete.

The next set of enemies materialized in more of those dark portals. They were a breed of monster that Minato had never seen before, with a two-pointed hat decorated to look like a face, clawed gloves, tattered black wings, and a thorny X across their chests. They shambled towards him, slowly fanning out to surround him.

"Give... it... to us..."

Minato stumbled back when he heard the broken voice coming from one of the creatures.

 _They can_ talk _?_

"We need... more.." This time it came from a different one.

"Lux... _**Lux**_!"

The horde devolved into a chaotic chant as they circled in, swiping at him as soon as they came in range. Minato parried their attacks as best he could, but their combined speed and seemingly random movements made defense difficult, and he could feel himself slowing down with every failed dodge.

It took some effort, but Minato managed to put some distance between himself and them. Close combat proved to be too dangerous for extended fights. He looked himself over and recoiled at the sight of his wounds oozing a dark mist. That explained the drain on his energy. Opting for a ranged strategy, he threw his Keyblade and fired magic at the monsters, obliterating the rest. He took the opportunity to heal himself before the final opponent entered the space.

 _This is the final round.  
_

A gate— not a dark one like the others used, but a normal one— appeared and out stepped a woman with long red hair tied back in a loose ponytail. She summoned her weapon and pointed it at him, a confident smile on her face.

And then Minato was in the lobby, with the Arena curator standing in front of him. His head was pounding and he wasn't sure what had happened.

"You lost your focus." He said it sternly, but without judgement. Minato didn't really hear him though.

 _That was..._

"I met a woman, once, a long time ago... with that very weapon you wield," the man said, pointing to where his Key would normally be.

This got Minato's attention. "And is that why you picked her?"

"Yes, though I take it you weren't expecting to see her here?"

"It's not that; I'd just forgotten this blade wasn't unique to me. It's been so long since I'd even thought about it." He sat down at the edge of the transporter. After a second, the man sat beside him.

"Well, you've definitely earned it. You're quite the fighter."

"You think so?" Minato laughed softly.

"That woman, she was the strongest warrior I had ever met. She had a clear reason for why she fought." The man shifted to look him in the eye. "What about you? What's your reason?"

"Me? Huh..." Minato looked at his hands. _Aqua is a Master because she wants to travel the world. Terra wants to be a hero. But me..._ "I guess I just want to make my mom proud. She's the reason I started fighting in the first place."

The man fell silent. Minato glanced over at him to see him looking up at the stars above, a melancholic expression on his face.

"You okay?"

"I'm sure... your mother is proud of you."

"Yours probably is, too." Minato gave him a reassuring smile.

The man snorted. "Unlikely. Who could be proud of a monster?"

"Why do you keep saying that?"

The man stood and showed off his singular wing. "This is why," he sighed. "I used to think myself a hero. But then reality took hold, and now I'm left with nothing but this wing to show for it. What else am I, but a monster?"

Minato considered the man in front of him. "I don't think those are monster wings."

The man cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Well then, what are they?"

"Well, I read a story when I was a kid, about a guy who made wings for his son. He gave him those wings so that the son could escape their prison. Without them, the kid would probably have died."

"If I recall, the boy flew too close to the sun and died anyway."

"He brought that on himself. It's what _you_ do with your wings —or wing— that counts."

The man stared at him, then broke into a wide grin. "You remind me of someone I used to know. He, too, was too stubborn to live, and impressively optimistic."

"Yeah? Well, you remind me of one of my teachers. Single-mindedly obsessed with some impossible ideal."

This got another laugh. "That's fair." Then the man reapplied his serious face. "Did you want to try again? There is no shame in knowing your limits."

Minato let out a small chuckle. "Heh, I'll beat her this time."

Now fully recovered, Minato re-entered the arena. Having gone through the first two waves before, he knew what to expect and quickly finished them. The Keyblade wielder once again entered the arena and once again raised her Key. This time, Minato was prepared, and dodged the dark fireball she launched at him, returning fire of his own.

The woman was reckless but graceful in her attacks, striking with deft precision at any weaknesses in Minato's guard. Minato was forced to stay on his toes, never standing in one place for too long. It was a challenge he hadn't felt in a long time, and it was exhilarating. He found himself laughing every time he managed to land a hit, even if it was soon followed by two of her own in his ribs. The woman, too, was assured of her victory, it clear on her face despite only being a data recreation of the real thing.

He decided to use that against her.

Borrowing from the trick Ventus had used the night before the exam, he let himself get hit. The force of the attack threw him across the arena. Gasping for breath, he allowed himself to rest while he waited. She strutted over, casually lifting her blade over his head, and he took that moment to strike. Not expecting a surprise attack, the woman failed to avoid his weapon and was knocked back.

She stood up, and Minato shakily went into a defensive position, but the woman only grinned and said, "Well done. You got me this time, but I'll beat you for sure in the exams!" before disappearing in a stream of code.

 _The exams? She was that strong and she was just an_ apprentice _?_

He returned to the lobby. The man had his arms crossed.

"That was an interesting strategy. Allowing yourself to almost die for a small chance she would fall for your ploy. Not many would be willing to risk it."

Minato tilted his head and asked sarcastically, "Was it _dishonorable_?"

The man chuckled. "It was resourceful. You would have lost regardless, so you had nothing else to lose."

"Thanks for your approval," he rolled his eyes, smiling.

The man put a hand on his shoulder. "You displayed creativity and an ability to think outside the box. Those are things everyone needs, but not all possess. You should be proud."

"Ya know, you really do give off a 'teacher' vibe. Although I was wrong earlier."

"Why do you say that?"

"You're more like my other teacher. She's stubborn but her heart's in the right place. She only does what she feels is right."

The man didn't seem to know how to take that, so he was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "You asked why I came here. The answer isn't one I'm proud of. I ran away from my old life. But if it was because I had lost my honor, or if I was trying to preserve what little I had left... That's a mystery that may never be solved."

Without giving Minato a chance to reply, the man again changed the subject. "That kid, Zack, he had good qualities of his own. And his dreams, while unrealistic, were just part of his charm."

"What did he dream about?"

"When I last saw him, his dream was to become a hero." He laughed. "He was just a child then. Who knows what he's doing now?"

"Why don't you go find out?"

He laughed. "Honor... can be quite a burden at times. But maybe one day I'll find him."

That reminded Minato of his task. "I actually have someone I'm supposed to be finding, too."

"Is that so? Best of luck to you."

"You too." The two returned to the landing station outside the lobby. "Oh! I'm Minato. You never said your name?"

The man hesitated. "It's Angeal. Angeal Hewley."

"It was cool speaking with you, Angeal."

"Same to you, Minato. And follow your dreams."

And with a small wave, Minato summoned his Glider and took off.

"A world like a giant library... Aqua would love this place," he smiled to himself as he flew away.

 _Now let's go check out that forest world. The dense woods are as good a place as any for creatures of darkness to lurk._

He landed atop a small mesa on the outskirts of the woods to get a sense of the land. The forest covered the majority of the world, but there were clearings here and there like the one he was in and the castle. Spotting the darkest looking part of the woods, he set off on foot to explore.

The trees were packed so closely the sun didn't shine through at all. There were no sounds of birds, but he could hear crickets and other flying insects buzzing around. Minato kept his Keyblade out, both for protection, and also to use its soft glow to illuminate the animal trail he was following.

There were no signs of Unversed out here, but every once in a while he thought he saw yellow eyes peeking out from behind a shrub before vanishing as quickly as he'd seen them.

Several rabbits and their young hopped across the path, skittering away when they saw him approach. It started raining, which he didn't realize until he heard the thunder. Occasionally a flash of lightning broke its way through the trees, which would reveal a herd of deer running to shelter. The bugs disappeared, and after that he didn't spot any more wildlife.

There were several long minutes of silence as he made his way through the woods, interrupted only by the storm, or the yellow eyes in the corner of his vision. It was calming in a way, but Minato stayed on edge every time he thought he heard something rustling towards him.

It was one of those times that he heard the rustling grow louder behind him. He dove out of the way and looked back to see an old woman speeding down the trail, riding atop a giant 6-foot tall spider. Next he saw a cavalry of deer and other animals with... little men? riding on their backs. Minato recovered and followed after them.

They burst out of the woods and Minato was instantly soaked by a torrent of rain and wind. The grass ended and in the afterglow of the lightning, he could see they were at the base of a stone mountain. It was steep, but the old woman clambered off the spider and began clawing her way up. The little men dismounted their steeds. "After her!" "We've got her, men!" they cried out over the wind. The spider turned around to block their path.

"Outta our way!" One of the dwarves sneered. The Unversed leered at them from above, more than twice their height.

"I'll take care of this thing!" Minato put himself between the men and the monster, weapon in position. _I don't get what's going on, but that lady was working with this Unversed._ "You guys go on ahead!"

"Thank you for your kelp— I mean, help," another dwarf said, and they ran past the creature.

As they disappeared over the crest, a bolt of lightning struck right next to the Unversed. _The storm might make things difficult,_ Minato worried. The monster tapped its many legs in an uneven rhythm. Then it ran towards Minato, the ground trembling under its feet. He rolled out of the way and slashed down at the monster.

It shrieked and flipped onto its head. Thinking he'd disabled it, Minato inched towards the monster just as it began to spin on its head, projectiles of ice cold water being thrown haphazardly at the surrounding area. He stumbled backwards, deflecting the projectiles with his Key.

Another bolt of lightning struck a tree behind them. One of its limbs crashed to the ground, the debris scattering around. Minato gasped in pain as a large splinter embedded itself into his leg.

The monster took that opportunity to strike.

It slammed into his blade as he blocked, but the force pushed his back to the mountainside.

Pinned to the wall of rock, Minato had to use both hands to keep the Unversed from pushing past his defense. He tried different types of magic, but nothing affected it.

 _It'd be great if that light sword could show up soon_ , Minato wished, gritting his teeth. But nothing showed up. The monster was pressing harder and he could feel his grip slipping.

"Hraaagh!" The Unversed was ripped away from Minato by a familiar Key.

"Slacking off, are we?" his Master shot as she leaped out of the monster's path.

Minato circled around to its back and they attacked the monster from two sides. As Minato dealt the final blow, another crash sounded high above their heads. The Unversed fizzled away as they looked up, but couldn't see through the rain.

Worn out from the fight, Minato turned to Master Iqarus. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that the way you address your Master? I happen to be searching for Ventus. It seems he's run away."

"What?"

They paused as the men climbed back down the mountain. Each one, as they passed, gave a short bow and thanked the wielders for their help. Then they disappeared back into the dense forestry.

After watching them leave, Minato returned to their conversation. "Ven left?"

"Yes. It seems he followed after Terra shortly before Aqua left. Hey, let's get out of this rain."

Together, the two headed into the woods. Iqarus cast a sphere of light to guide them along the path, which had fresh footprints from Minato's earlier trek as well as the dwarves more recent tracks.

 _I didn't see him at all... But then...!_ "D'you ever find out what that was in the dorms?" _Maybe something's happened?_

Iqarus blinked, then sighed and shook her head. "No. I did not see anything out of the ordinary. What about you? Have you seen anything unusual?"

"No— Actually, there was this boy in a mask in one of the worlds I've visited."

At the mention of the mysterious boy, Iqarus's eyes widened. "A boy in a mask? Did he say anything to you?"

"Nah, he was just trying to mess with me." _It worked, too._ "Master, is he somehow related to the Unversed?"

"...I'm not sure. But I've heard some say they've seen someone who could control the Unversed just before their world was attacked. And speaking of rumors, have you seen Terra since your departure? It seems he's become quite the troublemaker." She asked it with a smirk, but he could tell there was something more serious behind the question.

"Yeah, I saw him on the same world I saw the weird kid. Something was definitely bothering him, but he was acting normal to me." _And considering he just had his dreams shattered, he's actually coping really well._

"...Remember your promise, Minato."

 _Huh?_ "Of course."

"Well, it looks like we've reached the end of the super spooky forest!" Iqarus exclaimed.

And she was right. The trees open up into a clearing with a small cottage. In front where the dwarves from earlier, kneeling in front of an open glass coffin with tear-stained faces.

It was a little difficult to see who was inside the coffin from their distance, but it seemed to be a young girl. If it weren't for the coffin she was lying in, the girl almost looked alive, like she was sleeping.

He heard footsteps coming from the other side of the cottage and saw Aqua alongside a young man dressed in a simple tunic and a feathered hat.

When the man saw the girl, he pulled off his cap, hurrying over to gaze down on her. Minato couldn't see the man's face, but he heard a shaky sob as the man bent over to give the girl a parting kiss before bowing down.

 _It's unfair. I don't know who she is, but from the way those men care for her, she must've been a good person._ Minato bowed his head out of respect as even the forest creatures seemed to be in mourning.

He felt a small tremor in the air and ground behind him and saw his Master slipping away. She stopped when he whispered, "Before you go, did you know anyone that used to wield the Way of the Damned?"

Before she could answer, their attention was pulled back to the melancholy scene as Aqua had cried out "Princess!"

The girl had sat up and was rubbing her eyes, a wide but delicate yawn on her face. She looked around at the surprised faces of those who knew her as they broke into cheers. The man stood up and she gasped and smiled when she saw him, throwing her arms around him as he scooped her up into his. Aqua's joyful grin had Minato fighting the urge to do the same.

After the princess gave each dwarf a farewell kiss on their bald heads, she and the prince walked away, hand in hand, the dwarves waving goodbye.

 _You don't get to see fairy tale endings like this too much. That was... really sweet._

He glanced back to his Master, but she had already left, and he saw Aqua doing the same. He called out but she was gone before he got out the first syllable.

"And thank you again for raving, I mean, saving us," the dwarf with glasses ( _Is he their leader?_ ) walked up to him. "There sure have been a lot of people with those strange knees, uh, _keys_ of yours, but boy, am I grateful you turned out to be such kind folks!"

"D'you mean besides Aqua and me?"

The angry-looking one grunted. "The princess was attacked by one of 'em hooligans, summonin' those monsters ya were fightin' earlier!" He huffed and crossed his arms. "Honestly, I don't entirely trust _you_ , either!"

The other dwarf raised his hands in an attempt to calm the angry one down. "Now now, that other toy— er, boy, said it was his friend Sara, I mean, Terra."

Minato was taken aback. "T-Terra?! That can't be right..." _But there's no way a kid like that could have a Keyblade, is there?_

He left the dwarves arguing and returned to the Realm Between. Floating above the world's atmosphere, he began to count on his fingers. "Alright, so current to-do list is... Find Master Xehanort, who disappeared all of a sudden after the Exam; find and stop the source of the Unversed, which suddenly appeared, also right after the Exam; ask Terra about the rumors Master Iqarus mentioned; and find Ven, who's run off somewhere." He scoffed, "My life as a Master is off to a _great_ start." He sighed. "Well, guess I'll head back to Master Eraqus to report."

As he was thinking that, an Unversed sped past him. Then another. And another. He looked to where they were headed and gasped as he saw a swarm descending on a world further away and took off after them.


	5. Follow Your Dreams

Minato was greeted by the sound of flowing water as he opened his eyes. The back of his head was throbbing and it was hard to focus on anything, but he could see he was in a court of fountains. He couldn't recall everything from before he crash landed in Radiant Garden, but he remembered fighting off a cloud of Unversed invading its atmosphere, and he remembered one of them ramming itself into his glider just before he passed out.

He gave himself a moment to regain his senses and then set off to look for the Unversed. It had been a while since he'd set foot in a large town like this, and he took his time walking around. The buildings in the part of town he was in weren't overly decorated, but practical, and the inhabitants were bustling around doing their work, advertising their wares as their children ran around playing, their spouses coming out from their shop that also acted as their home to help them out.

In the late afternoon sun, it was comfortable and familiar. It made him remember the warm sun on his face as he sat beside her, ice cream in hand. The scramble to clean it up after it melted all over his arms and legs. Her laughter afterwards.

No matter what had happened, she had always been smiling.

For a second, he thought he saw her walk around a building and hurried after her. When he turned the corner, he found himself on a remarkably empty street with only two stores. One was closed (maybe for good, judging by the state of it), and the other had a strange fluffy white creature floating out front. It was arguing with a strange old man with a long blue hat and an even longer white beard.

"I keep telling you: you're driving all my customers away, kupo!" The creature was exasperated.

"Utter nonsense! The rumors of this book have spread too far and I'm simply trying to keep any more ruffians from trying to use it! Look! There's another one! Off with you! Go on!" The man had spotted Minato and began shooing him away.

"Book?" Minato tilted his head, perplexed.

"See? Just as I told you!" the old man puffed out his chest and stormed off to a rundown building across from the moogle.

"He's just crazy, kupo. The local hermit who thinks everyone is trying to take something from him," the moogle shook its bobbing head as it pocketed something shiny. "Go ahead and take a look at my wares, kupo!"

Minato bought a few potions to placate the creature before hesitantly knocking on the door of the elder's house.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" The door opened and the man grumbled at Minato. "Oh, it's you again, is it? Very well then, come have a look, if you _must_. Though I must say, having so many visitors on one day is quite odd for a wizard like myself."

"Are you being bothered by them, Sir?" Minato gingerly stepped over a pile of books stacked in front of the door as he was ushered inside. The interior of the house was cluttered and disorganized, with various books and knickknacks littered around the single room house.

"The name is Merlin, boy, and nothing can bother me. Here, have some tea while I fetch the book." At this, a teapot on the table in the middle of the room floated up and began pouring hot liquid into two cups. Minato's eyes grew large as the cup and saucer flew over and settled in his hands.

"You use magic for everyday stuff like this?"

"Of course, my boy! Wouldn't want to waste time when I could be doing something else," the magician muttered as a cup found its way to him. "Anyway, this book is very interesting, as it seems to have the power to awaken your hidden potential."

Merlin set the book on the table, and Minato carefully unbound the book to take a peek.

A warm glow emanated from the book. Happy memories were brought to mind, and he could feel himself being drawn in.

"And I think that's enough for today!" And with that, Merlin snatched the book from Minato's grasp and slammed it shut. "You must make sure not to get swallowed up by magical objects. The results could be disastrous! Now, away with you! I'm sure you have other things to do, child."

"Oh, uh, right. Thanks, Merlin."

The wizard harrumphed and guided Minato out the door.

000

Minato continued his hunt for the Unversed, eliminating any he found. At the world's castle, he spoke with the guards who had nothing to offer on the origin of the Unversed. As he left them, he heard one say "What kind of miserable world must we live in that children fight in our stead?"

He laughed to himself. _Yeah, it's really unfair. But it beats living on the streets any day._

As time passed, the monsters became unusually sparse, but he could still feel a strange shadow over the brightness of the world. It settled on his shoulders like a heavy fog, putting Minato on high alert.

While patrolling the area in search of the source of the fog, he spotted Terra storming off toward the outer gardens, too engrossed in his own thoughts to see Minato as he sped by.

It was then that the other Unversed finally decided to show themselves, prancing around the square and wreaking havoc on everything they touched. Minato gritted his teeth and focused on the enemies in front of him.

 **So͝m̀ęţh͟in͡g͠ s͟o̸ ҉t̢riv̶ial.**

"Urk...!" He clutched his head as the voice resounded in his skull. Images of the monster he had dreamed of so long ago flashed through his mind and he barely managed to avoid serious injury from one of the real monsters around him.

Grounding himself in the present, Minato cleared out the Unversed. They came in waves, pushing him backward into the smaller streets to pin him in. Despite the smaller area the battle itself was rather easy, and he returned to the town center to find a middle aged man escorting a child away from the square, as well as a familiar shape running down to the outer gardens.

* * *

Aqua left the old wizard's house smiling. The book Merlin had shown her was one she hadn't seen in a long time, not since Master Eraqus had taken her on as an apprentice. That had been so long ago, and her family had grown so much since then.

Of course, Eraqus was like a second father, and Terra and Ven were her goofy brothers. Those two were polar opposites of each other yet somehow they'd grown inseparable. Master Iqarus had been something like a quirky aunt.

Minato was someone special. He would always listen to her funny stories, her rants about the other boys, her ideas. He had his faults, too. He was short-tempered and never asked for help. But still no matter what, he was always there for her. He always knew what to say to make her feel better. And she needed that more than anything right now.

 _Where did I go wrong?_

Aqua was pulled from her thoughts by a familiar voice shouting "Ven!" She looked up to see Minato headed for a large archway set at a lower level than the square proper.

"Minato?" she called. He stopped and waved when he saw her, crossing over to meet her in the center of the plaza. "Was that Ven?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Looked like he was chasing after Terra. ...Did something happen?"

She hesitated before answering, "Master Eraqus instructed me to keep an eye on both Terra and Ventus, but..."

"They didn't appreciate it, I bet." He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"No," she sighed.

Minato rubbed his neck. "...Well you're not alone at least. Maybe I can bring Terra to his senses."

Aqua couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

"A-anytime. See ya later?"

"Always. Also, Minato, there's a boy named Vanitas involved in all of this somehow. I don't know who he is, but keep an eye out for him."

His face darkened, but with one last squeeze of her hand, he merely said " 'Course," and ran off to talk to Terra.

That's when she spotted him. A boy in dark clothing with his face shielded from view by a tinted mask.

"A mask? You must be the boy Ventus mentioned!" _So soon?_

She could practically hear the boy smirk as he casually turned to face her. "Ah yes, Ventus. Tell me something, has he learned to put up a decent fight yet?" The way he spoke to her, like she was barely worth his time, made her angry and she gritted her teeth.

"What do you mean?"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I'll be asking the questions. And why shouldn't I? After all, between the two of us..." Aqua bit her lip as dark electricity crackled to life and a Keyblade appeared in the Vanitas's hand. "...I'm the only one who will be walking away from here alive."

Aqua called forth her own Key and readied her stance. "Guess again!" She wouldn't allow such disrespect from a total stranger, especially one who would harass her beloved little brother.

The fight was completely one-sided, but it unnerved Aqua every time she landed a blow on the boy and he would simply throw himself at her again and again and again. His arsenal of spells was limited to just the very basics, which were imbrued with dark energy. She noticed he had a tendency to try and catch her from behind, but it was so predictable that he never managed a single hit.

At last, Vanitas reached his limit, and Aqua's next attack threw him across the square. She warily approached him and knelt to remove his helmet. "Who... who are you?" _Who are you really?_ His sudden laughter caught her by surprise and she leapt back. It was hysterical and psychotic, making her skin crawl.

Eventually the boy calmed himself and stood. "Not bad at all! Congratulations. I'll keep you around. Never hurts to have a backup."

 _Excuse me?_

Before she could retaliate, a blast of purple smoke hit him in the gut. Aqua gaped at Minato, who was at the top of the stairs to the outer gardens, Keyblade in hand. A wisp of darkness hovered at the tip.

"What did you do?!" _Using the darkness is expressly forbidden!_

Another fit of laughter erupted from the boy, who said nothing more as he gripped his stomach and kept up his casual air as he stepped back into a cloud of darkness that had appeared behind him. Minato flew past her in hot pursuit.

"Minato!" she cried, but he vanished into the darkness.

And she found she didn't feel that much better after all.

* * *

The instant he stepped into the swirling portal, his vision went black. The pressure dropped and Minato's stomach twisted as a wave of nausea and dizziness washed over him.

He stumbled forward, unable to see through the dense fog.

 _I'm cold._

The only noise was something akin to a breeze in an endless tunnel.

 _What have I done?  
_

He could feel bony fingers around his ankles, but he kept walking.

 _Aqua... I just left her. I didn't even think about it._

He shivered as sweat rolled down his back.

 _Why'd i even run after him? i don't know a thing about these dark gates._

His movements felt sluggish.

 _i risked my life for this?_

The hands on his legs grew firmer, more solid.

 _i'm such an idiot_

 _i'm so c old  
_

 _i ca n' t_ —

Then he was back.

The sudden change blinded him a second time and his ears popped. It had only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. His throat was sore.

His clothes were damp, but the sun was drying them fast. The world he had stepped into felt unbearably hot after his time in what he could only imagine was the Realm of Darkness. The noises, too, were loud and unceasing, coming from a little distance away.

The world itself was bright and cheerful, with festival decorations hung and posted in every available spot. There was no sign of Vanitas.

Minato had gone to find Terra, only to see him take off on his Glider, leaving Ven staring after him. He had considered approaching him when he heard the sound of metal against metal back in the town plaza. When he got there, he'd seen Aqua jumping away from the masked boy as he got off the ground.

 _"What did you do?"_ Aqua had been horrified. They both knew too well the dangers of using the darkness, and still...

Minato wasn't sure why he had attacked Vanitas. All he could remember was a surge of anger and the next thing he knew, his Keyblade was pointed at the boy. And while he certainly hadn't meant to, he couldn't say he regretted it. Especially since it hadn't done much of anything. Besides, he was speaking to Aqua like an _object_ that could be replaced.

That was unforgivable.

A rumbling sound came from around a corner and when Minato went to investigate, he barely missed being hit by a car flying out of an alley. At the wheel was a large cat that yelled at him as it passed. "Outta the way, pipsqueak!"

The driver yanked the wheel hard to the left and the car lifted off its wheels for a second before doing a complete 180 and crashing into a nearby wall. A wheel rolled down the street, having been knocked loose from the collision. The cat wobbled out of the vehicle and glared at Minato, stomping his feet. " _Oh,_ now you've done it! You busted my kart!"

Minato was taken aback. "I'm... sorry?" While it was true the kart was busted, it was by no means Minato's fault. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to this wild accusation.

"You better be sorry! By the time I'm through with you—" He broke off, as if realizing something important. "I mean, uh, if I were just any old citizen you'd be in deep water, but you're talking to the Rogue Racer, Captain Dark! And while I can't let ya off the hook, fix my kart and we'll be square. You're lucky I'm so generous."

"Uhh.." _I guess I can take a look at least?_

The car was beat up, but other than the loose tires the only thing visibly wrong with it was some paint was scratched off, and that looked like it came from more than just this accident. Since this was a race car, most of the damage was probably from that, though his poor driving definitely didn't help.

"Do you have any tools I could use?" he asked 'Captain Dark'. He had seen some older men do similar work in Twilight Town and while he had never done it himself, Minato figured reattaching the tires couldn't be all that difficult.

"Hah? 'Course not! Left 'em in the garage! Can't have nothin' slowin' me down, y'see."

Minato stared at him. "Then how'm I gonna fix your kart?"

"Why, we'll just, uh, take it to the garage and you can get it all fixed up," the racer spluttered.

And with an exhausted sigh, Minato collected the tire and pushed the vehicle down the street as Captain Dark led the way, bragging about his accomplishments.

Once there, Minato found the tool box and pulled out the wrench he needed. Tightening the bolts proved to be as simple as it looked and he was done in a matter of minutes, with the rogue racer watching from afar.

Minato stood and dusted off his hands. The wheels now firmly attached, the only remaining flaws on the kart were the dents and scrapes, as well as packed-on dirt from multiple races. An idea formed in his mind and he bent down to inspect one of the smaller marks on the hood. Using a small hammer, he started lightly tapping the metal.

"H-hey now... What're ya doin'?"

"You're a racer, right? Your kart's gotta look presentable." He didn't stop.

"Hmm, ya gotta point there. But don't you go breakin' it further!"

And with that, the cat grabbed another hammer and beat out the larger dents. Together they finished fixing the hood and buffed out the scratches, both too focused on the tasks to talk.

Afterwards, they inspected their work. The kart had been repainted and waxed, and it shone in the bright sunlight.

"Huh, not bad, kiddo. If I wasn't so sure I's gonna win, I mighta voted for ya!"

Minato wasn't sure he understood. "Voted...? For what?"

But Captain Dark ignored him and hopped into the vehicle. "The Rogue Racer returns to the track!" And with a short cackle he sped off, fishtailing down the road.

 _What was that all about?_

"Oh, that's not nice of him to leave his new friend behind..." Minato jumped when he heard the voice coming from a small mouse in a pink dress. She had a crown between her round ears, telling Minato this must be the world's queen, Minnie. The mouse giggled. "And who _is_ our new friend?"

"I-I'm Minato. It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."

She smiled gently. "Likewise. And thank you so much for helping Pete." _Pete? Was that his name?_ "He doesn't have any friends and hardly talks to any of the townsfolk, so it was very kind of you to reach out to him."

"It, uh, was nothing. Um, what did he mean about voting?"

"He must have meant the Dream Festival. Every year, we hold a celebration in honor of the wonderful citizens of this town, and the one who everyone thinks is the most helpful citizen gets an award. However... Oh dear..." The queen's smile faltered.

"What?"

She looked up at him, eyes full of regret. "Since you don't have a pass to Disney Town, you're not a citizen, which means you're not eligible for the award. I'm sorry, Minato."

Despite himself, Minato felt a pang of disappointment. "T-that's fine. Does he— does Pete have a chance?"

"...I'm sure that deep down, Pete has a good heart, but so long as he keeps pushing the townsfolk away, I'm afraid he won't receive many votes." Minnie sighed, staring off in the direction Pete had driven.

 _That sucks._ "Oh. And non-citizens can't vote, can they?"

To Minato's surprise, the mouse smiled up at him. "Everyone can vote for their favorite citizen!"

"Wait, really?!"

Minnie giggled in response. "This way."

* * *

The next world he visited was Olympus Coliseum. His Master had often taken him here whenever there was a big tournament to watch those who aimed to become "true heroes", but never once had he ever participated. He hoped one day he and Terra could compete against each other, but that would have to wait until after this Unversed business was settled.

Even if he had intended to sign up, it seemed all the slots were filled and the coliseum itself was closed to non-combatants, so Minato left to explore the city. Just outside the coliseum, however, someone caught his eye.

 _Angeal?_

Upon closer inspection, he found it was not Angeal, but the boy swinging his sword aimlessly in what vaguely resembled a practice routine did bear some similarities with the veteran soldier, namely his hair.

He chuckled under his breath at the boy's amateurish movements before catching his attention. "Training for the games?"

"I have to... prove myself to Phil... so he'll train me... to become... a hero." The words came out in bursts with each swipe.

 _Phil?_ He'd heard of him— the legendary trainer who'd taught the more famous heroes. He was also notoriously picky in his students— this kid didn't stand a chance. "Hm, the air looks like it's been bullied enough, so why don't I have a turn?"

The kid stopped his mindless swinging and grinned at Minato. "Sure, I could use the practice! Just know I won't go easy on you!" And with that, he donned a metal helmet and readied his sword. Minato called his weapon and lifted it over his shoulder.

The match was short enough, brought to a halt by the wannabe-hero realizing he had no real chance of beating Minato.

"Aw, come on! You challenged me knowing you would win!" The kid plopped onto the ground, panting.

"Yeah, but you're the one who accept— look out!" Throwing his Keyblade over the boy's head, he slashed through one of the large Unversed.

"Not these guys again!" Hopping back to his feet, the two fought back to back against the monsters.

Once the area was clear, the two rush back to the coliseum to make sure nothing happened there. There were no Unversed in sight, so they decided to wait outside until the tournament began.

Minato handed the young hero some _pasteli_ he'd gotten from a nearby stall.

"So you're trying to become a hero?"

He nodded. "It's been my dream ever since I was a little kid. I wanted to be like this guy I grew up with. He was always going on and on about honor, but he was the closest thing to a hero in our town."

Wanting an answer to his suspicions, Minato asked him, "...Your name isn't Zack, is it?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I met a guy who sounded a lot like that, and he—"

"You met Angeal?!" Zack jumped up, sesame crumbs falling off his armor as he stood a little too close for comfort. "Where?"

"Uhh..." He didn't know what he should say, since the boy's hero was on another world entirely.

He must have hesitated too long, because Zack's face fell and he said, "Can't say, huh? Well, at least he's okay." Then like a switch flipped in his brain, he was back to his normal peppy self. "Man, now I'm really fired up!"

Armored men bearing torches came out of the coliseum and began lighting the sconces around the area, signalling that the tournament was about to begin.

"Well, looks like it's time. Thanks a lot, uh—"

"Minato."

With a swift salute, Zack re-equipped his helmet and jogged inside.

The stands filled up quickly and the games began soon after. Minato was surprised to see the Unversed as contestants, but they stayed within the boundaries and only targeted their opponents. Still, several human entrants managed to defeat them and move up the ranks, including Zack.

The other surprise was seeing Ventus on the other side of the arena. He was cheering on Zack, too, as well as someone the announcer called 'Hercules'. Ven was clearly having a lot of fun, and Minato thought to himself how lucky Ven was that he wasn't Aqua or that fun would have been brought to an end as soon as she'd spotted him.

There was a break just before the semifinals, which was between Zack and Hercules. Minato watched from his seat as the three boys grouped together to talk, but was then distracted by the now familiar tug of a dark portal as the short goat he'd come to realize was _the_ Phil hurried over to the group of friends.

"Hey! We got trouble!" was all he could hear from where he was, but Ven leaving the coliseum in a hurry told him all he really needed to know.

 _Sorry, Zack. Gotta go clear out more Unversed._

He followed after Ven, and didn't notice the other two just behind him until they were stopped just outside the vestibule by a giant Unversed crashing down from the sky. It was around twice as tall as a human being, with two long blades in place of its forearms, and strongly resembled a gladiator.

It stood between them and the city beyond. Hercules looked past it and moaned, "Ven might need our help, but this thing is too close to the coliseum..."

"You go on ahead. I'll take care of this one," Minato kept his eyes on the monster as the trainee heroes hesitated. Hercules ran around the Unversed, but Zack stayed behind. "I'll be fine, Zack. Go help your friends."

He shook his head. "You're my friend, too. Ven and Herc can take care of themselves!" Minato mentally rolled his eyes but didn't argue further.

They split up to flank the enemy.

"So now you're playing hero?"

Minato whirled around and saw Vanitas leaning against a wall.

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

"I'm not here for _you_ if that's what you meant."

"Hey! Minato?" He heard Zack calling from behind him, but it was distant noise in his head.

The boy stood up straighter and lifted a hand to the gladiator.

Zack's shouts finally tore Minato's attention back to the real fight. The Unversed was right on top of Zack, who was barely fending it off.

It lifted one of its arms behind its head.

Minato felt a warmth in his other hand and without thinking, he threw the blade at the monster.

At the same time, he felt a twist in his stomach as he willed the creature to somehow miss its attack.

The Unversed suddenly changed course and plunged its arm into itself right as the mysterious other Keyblade hit it in the back.

As it disintegrated, Minato checked behind him and saw Vanitas still standing there. When he saw Minato looking at him, he sneered, "Don't bother believing you can save them, or else you're gonna be real disappointed." The boy turned and opened his strange gate. "And nobody's going to save you, either."

Then he was gone.

"That was a close one! Thanks a lot. You saved my life, man." Zack, having recovered from his near-death experience, was crossing the courtyard. Minato didn't hear him.

 _Why'd the Unversed attack itself? Why was he here? What about Ven?_

"Hey, you alright?" Zack was in his face now.

"Uh, y-yeah. Let's go check on the others."

"Oh yeah! If the monsters out there are anything like that one, they could be in trouble!" And with that, Zack took off.

Minato lingered behind.

 _That other Keyblade... what is it? And... I'm not the one who did that. Right?_

 _What should I do, Master?_

* * *

 _ **thank you for reading this far**_


End file.
